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Nunez Community College’s FIRST Robotics Team 9456 placed 32nd out of 51 teams during its very first competition this April in Kenner. Pictured from left at their season wrap-up party April 25 at Nunez are Sandra Keene, Jesse Keene, Eaden Maynard, Team Captain Michael Keene, Nunez Aerospace instructor Lloyd Norton, Brenden Cuasey, Shalom Alexander, Nunez STEAM Director Dr. Julie Rexford and DanJanae Johnson. The Meraux Foundation announced during the party that it will donate $10,000 to Nunez’s Robotics program.
Nunez Community College’s high school Robotics team is off to an impressive start following a strong showing at its first competition, followed by a $10,000 donation from the Meraux Foundation.
Nunez Robotics fielded three teams for the first time in 2023-24. Under the umbrella of Nunez’s STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) Division, Nunez assembled Team 9456, composed of high school students, to join Team 54266 and Team 56846, which are comprised of middle school and elementary school students. Team 54266 is in its third year and Team 56846 is in its second year.
While the younger teams worked with commercially available products like LEGO’s SPIKE Prime kit, Team 9456 was tasked with fabricating and assembling a robot from the ground up to the specifications of the FIRST Robotics Bayou Regionals competition, which took place April 4-6 at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner.
In a field of 51 teams, including teams from California, Florida, Mexico, Turkey, Canada and Poland, Nunez’s five-member Team 9456 finished 32nd in its inaugural competition against teams as large as 20 members and with 20 years of competition experience.
“The students loved it,” said STEAM Director Dr. Julie Rexford of Team 9456’s first competition experience. “The whole time they were already talking about what to do next year.”
The robot built by Team 9456, with the help of mentors like Nunez Aerospace Manufacturing Technology Instructor Lloyd Norton, is a six-wheeled machine with a rectangular base approximately two feet long and three feet wide, with a sloped apparatus rising three feet from the base to designed to shoot plastic hoops. At Bayou Regionals, Team 9456 scored points by guiding the robot via remote control through a course laid out on the floor, then scored additional points by shooting the hoops into a raised target.
Michael Keene, a high school senior from Slidell who is Dual Enrolled in Nunez’s Aerospace program, was recruited to the program by Norton and became team captain. Keene said the Nunez team’s relatively small size with five members became an asset in the lead up to competition because the group was able to get to know one another, including individual talents and skills, quickly. While none of the students had prior experience with robotics, the team was tasked with running the team like a business, including fabricating parts, assembling the robot, programming, advertising and managing a budget.
“To watch our students start with no skills and grow to using all types of tools and equipment with confidence to build and repair a robot was tremendous. To see that in action under pressure at the competition was tremendous,” said Dr. Rexford.
Keene, who also earned a Gold Medal for Nunez in the Principles of Engineering category at this year’s post-secondary Louisiana SkillsUSA competition April 15-17 in Alexandria, said the Robotics team is an ideal activity for anyone looking to sharpen their skills in technology, regardless of their lack of experience.
“To anyone who’s on the fence about joining the Robotics team, I would say, first of all, don’t be nervous about experiencing something new. As long as you contribute your time to it, it will be worthwhile,” said Keene. “I didn’t have any experience and I was able to watch and help this completely disassembled pile of parts come alive and do things none of us knew how to make it do.”
The Nunez Robotics team is a position to grow significantly in its second year thanks to a recent pledge of $10,000 from the Meraux Foundation, which also sponsored the program’s first year. Meraux Foundation Board President Rita Gue announced the additional donation during a wrap-up party for all three Robotics teams held April 25 at Nunez.
Parents interested in signing their child up for the Robotics program at Nunez can email Dr. Rexford at jrexford@nunez.edu
About Nunez Community College
Nunez Community College is a student-centered institution that delivers relevant and innovative curriculum integrating the arts, sciences, and humanities leading to academic credentials and workforce opportunities. Nunez serves a vital role in the community by engaging with partners to support student success and personal growth. Nunez Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees, technical diplomas, and certificates. Degree-granting institutions also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Nunez Community College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org). Nunez is located at 3710 Paris Road, Chalmette, LA. For more information, visit www.nunez.edu.
