Golda Och Academy’s CodeRunners RoboCup team will represent the United States in the International RoboCup Junior soccer competition in Leipzig, Germany. From left are Aytan Geschwind, Benjamin Soudry, Alex Rothschild, Nadav Soudry and CodeRunners adviser Arco Jeng.
WEST ORANGE, NJ — After securing a first place win at the RoboCup Junior USA soccer competition at The Horace Mann School in the Bronx, Golda Och Academy’s robotics team, the CodeRunners, has advanced to the International RoboCup Junior soccer competition. The CodeRunners is only one of six teams in North America qualifying for the international competition in Leipzig, Germany, from June 30 through July 4 and is the only team in their division to represent the United States.
According to organizers, the International RoboCup competition showcases the finest of STEM education, advanced robotics, future technology, international cooperation and sportsmanship, bringing together more than 500 teams from 40 countries. CodeRunners members Aytan Geschwind, Benjamin Soudry, Nadav Soudry and Alex Rothschild are heading to Germany to represent GOA, an incredible feat considering the win at Horace Mann was only the second time the team has participated in the RoboCup Junior competition.
In the soccer challenge, teams of two autonomous mobile robots compete against another team in matches. The robots play on a 6-foot-by-8-foot field with an infrared-light-emitting ball, trying to
score into a color-coded goal in a special field.
“The team has been working incredibly hard on designing, building and programming their soccer robots during the past two years,” CodeRunners adviser Arco Jeng said in a press release. “All of their hard work truly paid off, receiving the honor to represent our school and the USA.”
Thanks to the addition of the Dr. Lynne B. Harrison STEM Center at the Eric F. Ross Upper School campus, the team was able to design their robots in a dedicated space and test their work on a full competition field.
Team captain Benjamin Soudry added, “This was a really interesting challenge that taught us many engineering and computer science skills.”
“The fact that the CodeRunners were invited to compete in the RoboCup Junior World competition after only their second year competing, is truly a testament to their skill, drive and commitment,” GOA STEM coordinator Shira Kelmanovich said in the release. “Traveling to Germany to compete with robotics teams from all over the world is going to be an incredible experience for them, and we know they will represent Golda Och Academy beautifully.”
“This is a remarkable achievement for the CodeRunners and a wonderful opportunity for our students to gain valuable insight into how STEM is advancing on an international level,” Head of School Adam Shapiro said. “We are so proud of all of the team’s accomplishments and are truly excited for the CodeRunners to showcase their talents to the world.”
Golda Och Academy is also grateful for the support of its corporate sponsors, Harrison Research Labs, Online Computing and Communications, and Richards Manufacturing.
GOA’s CodeRunners to represent the USA in International RoboCup Junior Competition added by Editor on
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