CRyptoniteRobot-LongPRDraft1
- 1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Lance LaCour President/CEO Katy Area EDC (281) 396-2200 lancelacour@katyedc.org Cinco Ranch High School’s CRyptonite Robotics Team Building a Year of Milestone Successes Team to compete in World Championship April 23- 25 Katy, Texas — April 7, 2015 Perhaps it is simply an example of commitment, maturity and talent all fitting together at the right time. The first three months of 2015 have seen CRyptonite Robotics Team 624 of Cinco Ranch High School reaching new milestones with every tournament victory. Now, the team is preparing to compete for a world championship. On Saturday, April 6, CRyptonite won the Lone Star Regional FIRST games in Houston, as part of a three-team alliance. Fifty-six teams competed in the event. The win is CRyptonite’s third consecutive regional competition victory since February. Last month in Salt Lake City, CRyptonite won the Utah Regional Robotics Tournament alongside two allied teams from Colorado and Canada. Two weeks earlier, CRyptonite won the Dallas Regional in the Irving Convention Center as part of another three-team alliance. Robotics teams competing in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) events form alliances with other teams in keeping with FIRST’s “Coopertition®” — cooperation and competition — philosophy. Having won the Lone Star Regional, CRyptonite is headed for the World Championship in St. Louis from April 23 through April 25. Team President Dylan Bray is a senior
- 2. bound for The University of Texas at Austin to major in chemical engineering. Bray has been a member of CRyptonite throughout his high school years. “Being part of CRyptonite taught me a lot about working with others to overcome challenges,” Bray said. “It’s given me a lot of confidence and direction on career aspirations,” Bray said. “I’ve been involved in all the key aspects, from strategy, to publicity, to website content.” Another graduating member of CRyptonite, David Gros is also able to reflect on the team’s growth over four years. “All of us have developed greater technical and organizational skill with every challenge,” Gros said, adding that an appreciation of teamwork and cohesion is something all CRyptonite members have developed. Dr. Jack Muskopf is the team’s faculty sponsor, a chemistry teacher and a retired chemical engineer. “The CRyptonite members have developed a level of knowledge and confidence that enables them to hold firm to their own strategy, even when the team mentors might be urging an alternative approach.” CRyptonite’s success is also a welcome development for the region’s energy industry. As the team has grown, it has won a number of corporate sponsors who anticipate the need for future engineers. CRyptonite also has inspired other active and growing teams within Katy ISD, including Morton Ranch, Seven Lakes, Taylor and Thompkins. The students also benefit from the generous support of some of the area’s leading energy and technology companies. The Katy Area Economic Development Council (KAEDC) is working with the robotics teams to broaden support from area businesses. “As the team’s skill and notoriety grows, more industries are eager to help fund student robotics programs like CRyptonite,” said Lance LaCour, President and CEO of the Katy Area Economic Development Council. Lana Henderson has been a CRyptonite mentor since 2005 along with her husband, Steve. The Hendersons are both mechanical engineers and have had two sons on the CRyptonite team. Lana Henderson remembers when the team began with only two co- founding sponsors — BP and Oceaneering — and had to use one of the sponsor’s
- 3. machine shop for constructing robots. Now, thanks to the corporate sponsorship, Katy ISD just completed the new Robert Shaw STEAM Center to house the workshops and the practice arena for all the district’s robotics teams. About CRyptonite Robotics Team 624 CRyptonite Robotics Team 624 is part of an international, nonprofit organization called FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), founded by Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway and Autosyringe. Team 624’s members get hands-on experience in engineering, problem-solving, and teamwork while working to inspire a greater appreciation of science and technology in the surrounding community. About the Katy Area EDC Founded in 2003, the Katy Area EDC’s mission is to establish the Katy area as the premiere location for families and businesses through planned economic growth and economic development. Since its inception, the Katy Area EDC has grown to more than 180 members and assisted in the creation of more than 13,500 jobs and $1.4 billion in capital investment.