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The Daily Reflector, Saturday, January 7, 2012 B FROM P AGE O NE challenge, like having the robots play soccer or pick up pipes, which along with the specifications are secret until thousands of teams across the country tune in to the kick-off broadcast. The group will receive a basic kit of parts and design software to use, but the stu- dents have to generate the de- sign and obtain and assemble all the necessary pieces over the next six weeks. At the end of six weeks, the robots are packaged for com- petition and not allowed to be altered after the time is up. There is also a competition in South Carolina in March. “We’ll be working on this some every night,” Mc- Clung said. “It’s going to be intense, there’s a lot of ef- fort that goes into this.” The team meets at the annex at C.M. Eppes Mid- dle School, with the 43 stu- dent members divvying up the work. Robots normally are built on wheels and can weigh up to 120 pounds. They are built to run both autonomously on censors and through operator re- mote control. Safety is par- amount, with an appointed safety captain overseeing each work session. “These kids are doing real-world engineering,” McClung said. “The soft- ware is industry standard. Normally it costs thou- sands of dollars, but stu- dents get to use it for free. And business partners help with parts, there’s a lot of hands on work. They get to interact with professionals; it’s the real deal.” Sometimes referred to as the varsity sport of the mind, the FIRST robotics competi- tion emphasizes “coopeti- tion,” a combination of co- operation and competition. Teams alternate com- peting against each other and working together in the different rounds, and a close match scores more points than a total shut-out. The set-up teaches “gra- cious professionalism” to students, McClung said. “The goal is to get kids interested in technology and engineering, and we hope a lot of them will find themselves going into those fields,” McClung said. But if not, there are many life les- sons to be learned through building a robot. The group also has roles for students interested in busi- ness, marketing, fundraising, outreach and leadership. The group is open to all students, whether they are mechani- cally inclined or not. “It’s like a small business,” McClung said. “There’s a lot of opportunity for everyone.” For more information, visit www.pittpiratesrobotics. com. ROBOTICS Continued from B New Girl Scout cookies not sold locally The Daily Reflector Girl Scouts will ring in the new year by offering some old favorites during the annual cookie sale. They will begin taking or- ders today for everything from Caramel deLites to Thin Mints. But customers who hoped to buy the new 100th anniversary Girl Scout cookie may not be happy. Savannah Smiles, which caused quite a stir on the Internet earlier this week, will not be offered locally. There is no cookie re- call, as there was two years ago with the Lemon Chalet Creme. It is more of a baker’s choice. Girl Scout cookies are produced nationally by two bakeries: ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers. When you give ABC Bakers lemons, they make Lemon- ades (shortbread cookies with lemon icing). When you give Little Brownie Bakers lemons, they make Savannah Smiles (crescent- shaped, lemon-flavored cookies dusted with pow- dered sugar). Girl Scouts-North Carolina Coastal Pines, which in- cludes Pitt and 40 other counties in central and east- ern North Caro- lina, gets its cookies from ABC, which also features Thanks-A-Lot (shortbread cookies dipped in fudge) and Shout Outs! (Belgian-style carmelized cookies.) Little Brownie Bakers doesn’t have these varieties. Its unique of- ferings include Dulce de Leche (bite-sized cookies with milk caramel chips) and Thank U BerryMunch (cranberry cookies with white fudge chips). Both bak- ers make Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Pat- ties (also called Tagalongs), Peanut Butter Sandwich (aka Do-si-dos), Caramel deLites (aka Samoas) and Shortbread (also known as Trefoils). Savannah Smiles, re- leased this year to celebrate Girl Scouting’s 100th an- niversary, were named af- ter founder Juliette Low’s birthplace in Savannah, Ga. The cookie itself is not new. Girl Scouts offered the cookie years ago under the name Lemon Cooler. Girl Scout cookies are $3.50 per box. Sales con- tinue through March 11, with cookie booths opening on Feb. 3. Visit www.girlscoutcookies.org or www.nccoastalpines.org. Edwards seeks to delay Jan. 30 trial Citing a medical condition that has not been publically disclosed, former- governor John Edwards is seeking to delay his trail on finance charges. The Associated Press GREENSBORO — The ■ federal judge set to preside over the upcoming trial of John Edwards met behind closed doors Friday with a federal prosecutor and a lawyer for the two-time Democratic presidential candidate. Edwards is seeking to delay the scheduled Jan. 30 start date for his trial on campaign finance charges, citing a medical condition that has not been publicly disclosed. It is not clear what issues were discussed Friday in the judge’s chambers. The hearing was sched- uled a day after lawyers for the former Democratic U.S. senator sought to seal docu- ments describing what they call Edwards’s “confidential medical condition.” The in- formation contained in the filing has been provided to prosecutors, Edwards’s at- torneys said. Edwards’ lawyer de- clined to comment when leaving the courthouse. The start date of the trial has been moved back once after Edwards said he needed more time to prepare his defense and attend his daughter’s wed- ding.
