Daily Archives: February 20, 2017

Gene Editing: The Next Step In Evolution – Daily Beast

Posted: February 20, 2017 at 7:20 pm

With humans on the cusp self-evolution, a new report emphasizes the need for a societal conversation that were not likely to have.

Last week, two developments in gene editing shifted this potent new technology from a possibility to more of a probability. Yet its likely that the news didnt register with most people. Despite the revolutionary potential of a tool that may soon make it possible for Homo sapiens to manipulate DNA and to self-evolve - for better or for worse.

The new technology goes by the funny-sounding name Crispr-Cas9 a method that has the power to cut and paste DNA, the basic code of life in humans and all other organisms, almost as simply as moving letters around on a word processor. Researchers expect to use Crispr-Cas9 to fix or improve DNA sequences linked to diseases like Huntingtons and some cancers. The method could also be used to bump up a persons smarts, height, or stamina, although not yet.

We have within our grasp the technology to change evolution, said Paul Berg, a genetics pioneer from Stanford, about Crispr-tech. This could change the course of biological life.

Discovered in 2012 by scientists in California and Sweden, Crispr-Cas9 moved closer to reality last Tuesday when the National Academies of Sciences (NAS) released a report about the ethics and the proper uses of Crispr-tech. The next day came a patent court ruling that decided who has the rights to commercially exploit some basic components of Crispr-Cas9.

The media dutifully carried the news in the usual this is an important science story manner, while experts weighed in on science blogs and websites. Crispr-Cas9, however, is so far not following the usual pattern of scientific and technological breakthroughs, which typically take decades or even centuries to perfect, and for society to absorb them.

For instance, it took us thirty or forty years to properly build and learn to use the Internet. Even with genetics, the pace has been one of mostly incremental discoveries over decades, with society very slowly absorbing the basics of the science, and what it means for real people beyond what they saw in Jurassic Park and Gattaca.

Gene editing, however, is not following the usual, slow-roll-out pattern of most new discoveries. Crispr-Cas9 is still in its early days, but scientifically is moving at warp speed, playing out in years rather than decades.

Invented just five years ago, the technology allows DNA to be edited with an ease and at a lower cost than previous versions of the technology. Last year, a Pennsylvania high school senior named Michael Zhang even won a prestigious Intel Science Talent Search award for a project using Crispr.

Crispr stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, a natural process used by bacteria to remember the DNA of invading viruses so that that they can identify and destroy similar intruders, aided by DNA-slicing enzymes. In 2012 Jennifer Doudna of the University of California at Berkeley and Emmanuelle Charpentier of Swedens Umea University demonstrated in Science how to co-opt this process and intentionally edit DNA in any organism by using a slicer enzyme called Cas9.

Since Doudnas and Charpentiers breakthrough, a Crispr frenzy has generated thousands of scientific papers in hundreds of labs around the world. It has inspired the formation of companies like Editas, Intellia, and CRISPR Therapeutics that expect the gene editing market to one day generate billions of dollars. (All three companies have issued IPOs in record time). Last November, doctors began the first human trials in China using Crispr for patients with aggressive lung cancer.

Crispr-techs rapid deployment has also launched a brisk debate among scientists and bioethicists. In 2015, 18 prominent scientists and experts in law and ethicsled by Nobel Laureate David Baltimore and Jennifer Doudna published a call in Science magazine for a moratorium on some uses of this technology. As I reported at the time:

The group, which met in Napa, California, last January [2015] for a one-day summit, fretted about a possible slippery slope that might occur from using disease-curing applications that everyone wants, toward uses with less compelling or even troubling implications. They call on scientists to impose a voluntary stoppage while societal, environmental, and ethical implications of such activity are discussed among scientific and governmental organizations.

The group was particularly concerned about editing the germline cellsthe sperm and eggthat could pass alterations down to offspring. These are different than the somatic cells that make-up you and me and our organs and other body parts. They are not involved in reproduction, and wont impact progeny if edited.

Not surprisingly, the Crispr-rush has led to a battle over rival patents. Last week, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board issued a 51-page ruling that sided with one of the first parties to file early patents, the Broad Institute in Boston. They won against an even early filer, the University of California at Berkeley. At issue was Berkeleys claim to patent uses of Crispr-Cas9 in all cells, versus the Broad claiming a patent for use in certain cells, including human cells. If this sounds confusing, it is, indicating that the legal wrangling over Crispr is just beginning.

The National Academies of Sciences (NAS) issued a 243-page report prepared after the call for the moratorium in 2015, and a subsequent international summit on gene editing held in December, 2015, in Washington, DC, sponsored by the NAS.

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The report provides a detailed assessment of where the science is, and the ethical and societal issues. It lists a number of recommendations, most notably that in rare and limited cases, germline editing might be allowable to save lives, but only following much more research, according to the report, and only for compelling reasons and under strict oversight. One magazine called this a yellow light, although it does represent a big shift from traditional bioethics, which strictly forbade any modifications to the human germline.

The report is dense and written in academic-speak, but it does a good job of elucidating the science and the conundrums. It also cites polls suggesting that the public seems to be in favor of gene editing to treat grave illnesses and to save lives, but is very wary of using this technology for so-called "enhancement."

Last weeks pronouncements are important in beginning to create a scientific and societal undergirding for Crispr-tech. Yet we still seem a long way off from a societal zeitgeist. Even Hollywood has yet to start spinning Crispr-inspired plotlines, at least that Im aware of.

Nor does the politics of the moment bode well for a proper public conversation about Crispr-techor really about any new and fast-moving scientific enterprise that confronts us with a species-level set of risks and benefits. A failure to elevate this discussion, however, could cause this inevitable and rapidly moving technology to overrun our ability to absorb the implications, and our ability to make intelligent decisions about the future of us, our children, and humanity.

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Pokmon Go Metal Coat – evolve Scyther into Scizor, Onix into Steelix, and how to get the Metal Coat – Eurogamer.net

Posted: at 7:20 pm

Evolution methods for new Gen 2 Pokmon Scizor, Steelix, and how to get the Metal Coat.

By Chris Tapsell Published 20/02/2017

Gen 2 is finally here and with it come not just new Pokmon like Scizor and Steelix, but new items like the Metal Coat, too.

That, in turn, means new methods for evolution: the Metal Coat was used for evolving Scizor and Steelix in the main Pokmon games by having them hold the item when being traded - a mechanic that's not in Pokmon Go at all as things stand.

So with that in mind, how do you evolve Scyther into Scizor, and evolve Onix into Steelix, and likewise how do you get the Metal Coat in Pokmon Go?.

The answers to all that can be found below, but while you're here, it's worth noting that there are several other new, special items which work in precisely the same way: the King's Rock for Slowking and Politoed, the Dragon Scale for Kingdra, the Sun Stone for Bellossom and Sunflora, and the Up-Grade for Porygon2.

Back in the main series of Pokmon games, Scyther's evolution into Scizor was somewhat awkward, requiring not only the Metal Coat held item but a friend to trade (and trade back) with too.

In Pokmon Go things are a little easier. You'll still need to find yourself a Metal Coat, but instead of any kind of trading required, you'll just need another 50 Candy to evolve your Scyther into Scizor, which can be done from the same in-game menu as you would for evolving any other Pokmon with the standard Candy method so far.

Note that the Metal Coat will be consumed in the process though, just like your Candy is when evolving as usual, so be sure this is the one you want to evolve!

Much the same as with Scyther, Onix's original method of evolution in the traditional Pokmon games was a little awkward, again requiring both a trading partner and a Metal Coat to perform.

Not only that - Steelix shares the same method as the Scizor evolution does in Pokmon Go, too. Simply earn yourself the right amount of Candy, pick up a Metal Coat, and evolve your Onix from the in-game menus.

As with Scyther and Scizor, again remember that this consumes the Metal Coat item when used to evolve your Onix into Steelix, so choose wisely before you confirm it!

Want more help with Pokmon Go's Gen 2 update? Our list of new Gen 2 Johto Pokmon can teach you where to find each one, what you need to know about new Pokmon Go Berries, Special Items to evolve Pokmon such as King's Rock, Sun Stone, Up-Grade, Dragon Scale and Metal Coat, and how to get Eevee evolutions Umbreon, Espeon, and updated Egg distances and best Pokmon charts, as well as other Pokmon Go tips, tricks, cheats and guides.

The Metal Coat in Pokmon Go can be found from Pokstops, the same way you'd acquire the occasional Egg. You'll find more concentrated clusters of Pokstops in urban areas, but thankfully that's not the only strategy we have.

A special evolution item is far more likely to drop on the seventh day of your PokStop Daily Bonus streak. There's no guaranteeing which evolution item you'll get, but with only five in the game at least you hopefully shouldn't have to wait too long to get a hold of all the items you need.

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Going Beyond The Primal Instinct In Relationships – Collective Evolution

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What do we look for first in a romantic partner? Sexual chemistry? Attraction? Perhaps. But what if theseare the wrong things to be looking for if what we actually want is intimacy?

My teacher once said, If you meet someone and you immediately are dying to jump into bed with them, then RUN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

What?

This seems so counterintuitive, and yet if we listen to our stories of meeting people, having great chemistry, and then getting sexy, what is the rest of the story most of the time?

And then it just died. He never called back. Its like there was nothing else between us. We had nothing else to talk about. I dont get it.

Hmmm

There are great parallels between animal mating rituals and the way we try to find partners. There is an initial sexual attraction, there is a little dance, and if all goes well, sexual union.

In the animal world, the job is done because the goal was procreation. Its the inborn instinct to create little ones. Its important. But once sexual union is complete, the job is finished. (Of course there are animals who mate for life, but the comparison still holds.)

And so with us, ifthe first thing that draws us in is the desire for sexual connection with someone, we have to step back and ask ourselves some questions. Is this just my primal desire talking? Would our genetics simply create strong offspring? Why is the desire so overpowering? Hmmm

We often treat sex like a game that we would like to play together. We think that since we both like raquetball, we might as well play together. Its fun. Its pleasurable. Its a great way to pass an evening.

But true intimacy isnt raquetball.

True intimacyis about you and the other person. It is about the depth of your connection. Its about connecting with our whole selves.

Sexual intimacy is a function of that relationship. It isnt just something to do. (Well, it can be. You can have regular, physical sex with anyone. But the satisfaction isnt long-lasting. In fact, it just tends to make you desire more because youjust arent satisfied.)

What if instead, our first thoughtwhen we meet someone was, Wow, what a great person, or Id love to chat more with this person. How different would that be?

And then we chat. We do things together. I know it sounds very old-fashioned, but we start making connections in all kinds of aspects of who we are.

Soon, we enjoy doing things together. We want to know their opinion. We want to share our day. We want to hear about theirs.

And then perhaps it leads to getting sexually intimate maybe.

It intrigues me that many people who I know are in truly loving, deep relationships often say that if they had had to choose their partner on a dating app or if they had had to decide whether they would see each other again after one date, they likely wouldnt have chosen them. They say that it was only after they got to know each other that they realized how wonderful their partner was.

And once the love was there, it was deep and beautiful.

So, perhaps the new questions are very intuitive. Would I like to get to know this person more? Would I like to know their opinion on things? Would I like to hear about their day? Would I like to travel with them? Would I like to share my world with them?

This reality creates quite a multi-dimensional foundation to play within. Then, if you become lovers, imagine looking into the eyes of this person that you share so much with while you make love

This is when things get really interesting.

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City Talk: Following Pokemon Go’s evolution – Savannah Morning News

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After the introduction of Pokemon Go in summer 2016, I wrote a column about the ways in which the augmented reality game might impact local residents and visitors interactions with Savannahs built environment.

What have we learned in the last six months?

Not surprisingly, many players who downloaded Pokemon Go at its launch have quit the game. The breakneck pace of the early days was unsustainable.

But, with the release last week of Generation 2 of the virtual monsters, there has been a fresh surge of interest. In just six months of 2016, the game reportedly earned $950 million for its creator Niantic Labs, and it seems like the game can vault back to the top of the revenue charts whenever new content appears.

In recent months, Niantic has announced several significant sponsorship deals, including with Starbucks. Most Starbucks locations across the U.S. now serve as either stops or gyms in the game.

Pokemon Go generally works best in walkable places with prominent public spaces and notable buildings, so Savannahs older neighborhoods are perfect. The most active local Facebook group for Pokemon Go has grown to almost 2,000 members, and there are hundreds of players in smaller team groups.

I got hooked on the game last summer, so I can attest to a decline in players as the game stagnated in late 2016. Still, there is little doubt that this game and future ones like it have the ability to lure residents into spending much more time in the public realm sitting in squares, wandering along the riverfront, exploring different neighborhoods.

I see tourists playing Pokemon Go nearly every time I walk through Forsyth Park or the Landmark Historic District. Some are catching creatures as they walk, and many pause to battle at the virtual gyms, especially along the Bull Street corridor or River Street.

In the local Facebook group, there are periodic questions from prospective tourists about the state of the game in Savannah. While in New Orleans for Christmas, I looked for information about the game and subsequently spent part of an afternoon exploring City Park.

In November, a special Pokemon Go event lured tourists from around the world to the area of Japan that had been ravaged by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Given the success of Pokemon Go, we will likely see many games and educational apps that influence the choices of tourists and subtly change the landscape of the city, but I dont have a good guess about the ultimate magnitude of the changes.

City Talk appears every Sunday and Tuesday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net. Send mail to 10 E. 32nd St., Savannah, GA 31401.

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Robotics scrimmage – Corvallis Gazette Times

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In its first match, Crescent Valley High Schools robot had pieces falling off one wheel because it hadnt been properly screwed together.

Later, the robotics team from South and West Albany high schools had trouble going straight in its first scrimmage because the students forgot to reset a gyroscope after moving it onto the field.

But students on both teams said they were actually glad to find the problems so they could fix them before the competition season for FIRST Robotics starts officially.

Learning moments like this took place frequently Saturday at a robotics pre-season scrimmage at Corvallis High School, which was attended by 25 teams from across the Pacific Northwest. Organizers say the event, held annually in Corvallis, gave students a chance to get practice playing this years game for the first time and shake out problems with their robots, which they have been hastily building over the last nearly six weeks.

Matthew Sundberg, captain of the Crescent Valley team, said he was glad for the scrimmage because it gave the team a chance to find problems like the improperly assembled wheel.

But he said the team also realized how important it will be to put cameras on the robot that send video feed to the teams drivers, because the field is large and had enough obstacles the drivers couldnt always see where the robot was.

We learned a lot about how helpful vision will be, said Sundberg, a senior

Eric Sisson, a senior on the combined team from the Albany high schools, said the takeaway from their first match was to make sure the robots gyroscope is reset after it is moved.

The first (match) is always rough, he said.

Sisson is the lead scout for his team and added that the event is also valuable because he gets to see other robots in action, which may affect which robots they try to form alliances with in the upcoming competitions. The game allows robots to score points by collecting wiffle balls and throwing them into a hopper, collecting gears from the ground and placing them on a peg or by climbing a rope.

Sisson said the robots compete on teams of three, so its valuable to see which robots might have complementary abilities for their robot, which specializes in picking up gears and placing them on pegs and climbing the rope.

Oh my gosh, Ive learned so much, he said. Every year I think, Why didnt we do that?

Daniel Arthurs, a member of Philomath High Schools team, said at last years scrimmage the team didnt have its robot functional until the scrimmage was mostly over, but this year they were mostly ready at the start, so the team was happy it would get more practice time this year.

Were feeling a lot better about where we are at, he said. The Philomath robot is also specialized to collect gears and climb, Arthurs said.

Arthurs, a sophomore, said he likes robotics competitions because of how much hes learned through participating in them.

It gives you a lot of career choices, he said.

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SRNS jump starts robotics programs in two Aiken County schools – The Augusta Chronicle

Posted: at 7:19 pm

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions boosted its financial support to area schools last week, by adding a $9,000 donation to support robotics programs in Aiken County Schools.

SRNS has a sincere passion for supporting education outreach initiatives, year-round, throughout the CSRA, said SRNS Education Outreach Program Coordinator Kim Mitchell. Its at the primary and secondary levels of education within area school systems that our future leaders and the Savannah River Sites future employees are nurtured, shaped and prepared for life as an adult.

The new funding adds to the annual $20,000 SRNS gives to Public Education Partners. Mitchell said the additional $9,000 in funding is being used by PEP to assist science, technology, engineering, arts and math, or STEM/STEAM magnet schools Jackson Middle and New Ellenton Middle schools in Aiken County. The new funding is directed at helping jump start the student robotics programs.

Robotics programs have been springing up at a number of area schools, including the North Augusta High School team that travelled to the state competition in its first year.

Mitchell believes a cost effective method to deepen students interest in STEM-based courses is to intrigue them with robots. She said working in teams to build, program and compete with robots greatly increases student interest and participation in math, engineering and the sciences.

Ive always been interested in computers and programming, said Logan Hopson, an eighth grade student at Jackson Middle School. Working with robots gives us hands-on experience and hands-on building. Its a completely different perspective related to learning.

STEM and STEAM programs work, said New Ellenton Middle School Principal Shunte Dugar. The impact STEAM-based curriculum has had on our faculty and students have been nothing short of amazing. It is revolutionizing current educational theory, while evolving into a new questioning, tactile method of learning based on collaboration and discovery. We could not be more pleased with the results.

Jackson Middle School recently earned national accreditation for our STEM program, one of only 54 in the world today, said Kishni Neville, JMS STEM Coordinator. I believe a lot of the credit for this incredible accomplishment goes to SRNS for their long-time support, both financially and through their employees who regularly volunteer to help us.

Reach Thomas Gardiner at (706) 823-3339 or thomas.gardiner@augustachronicle.com.

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West Lafayette robotics teams show off their hard work | WTHITV.com – WTHITV.com

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What we talk about when we talk about robotics – Robohub

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European Robotics Week 2016. Credits: Visual Outcasts

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love is a collection of short stories by American writer Raymond Carver. In his collection, he doesnt provide a direct definition of love but instead lets the perception of the natureof love form in the minds of the reader through narrating a series of short stories.

This idea of perception leads me to my point. In myprevious post, I highlighted the widespread reproducibility issues still haunting robotics research. These issues need to be fixed if we want to talk about Robotics as a science. Like what the new journal Science Robotics aims to do. However there are still other issues to consider: what exactly is Robotics about? What does it mean when its said, you will never be able to do that within the mechatronic paradigm? Is there a kind of robotics thermodynamics? What can be done? What cant, for fundamental reasons, be done with a given approach/class of physical systems?

Areal roboticist (even in academia) might be tempted to dismiss those question as typical intellectual speculations.

There was a recent article in New Scientist about Londons Science Museums Robots called,who is really pulling the strings? If you focus solely on the perception of disappointment, after reading thearticle, you might be led to think, as I do, that we need a paradigm change. And you may understand the objectives and concerns of some not-so-mainstream communities in AI and Robotics, for example, those gathering around the Shanghai Lectures (2016 edition here). Unfortunately, its easier said than done.

I will come back on this again. Stay tuned!

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KW Robotics team prepares for ‘Steamworks’ challenge – Southernminn.com

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Its sort of Victorian-industrial, but with more whimsy and fewer orphans.

- Caitlin Kittredge, describing the Steampunk aesthetic

Students preparing for the 2017 FIRST Robotics (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Competition will be exhaling the first sigh of relief this week as the building deadline for robots closed on Tuesday.

The Steamworks theme is a nod to the Steampunk movement, which reflects the blending of Victorian-era mechanical gadgetry and modern science fiction.

It should also make for some interesting team costumes this year.

Since early January, the Kenyon-Wanamingo team 3848, known as Bots in Shining Armor, has been using all their technical skills to design, build and troubleshoot a robot for the contest.

Earlier preparation included a fall robotics scrimmage with last-year's robot at Prior Lake High School, an event that advisor Doug Thompson also uses to draw in new recruits for the team.

Over the weekend the team participated in a scrimmage with the new robot in Eagan. Thompson said they use that competition to see how their robot performs and learn if they have interpreted all the rules and guidelines correctly. Inspectors checked over the machine and the team still had two days to make improvements before the bag and tag deadline.

According to Thompson, the rules are particularly challenging this year in relation to the size of the robot. It could only be 36 inches by 40 inches, and 24 inches tall, including the bumpers. Previous machines had larger dimensions, but this new size restriction forces teams to build more compact.

The 2017 Steamworks challenge has three main components: shoot softball-sized "fuel balls" into a high or low "boiler," stack plastic gears to engage rotors for a "flying machine," and have the robot use a rope to climb on board for the "flight."

The main robot will be out of commission from now until they attend the FIRST Robotics competition at the University of Minnesota Mariucci Arena on April 5-8.

But that doesn't mean that the team will be slacking. Thompson had the JV squad build a mirror model that the group can use for practice. That is one advantage that comes from building up a stock of materials and receiving donations for extra funding.

In the fall, the robotics team received a $5,000 grant from Monsanto. Thompson was contacted by a representative from Syngenta near Stanton, who encouraged him to apply.

Other contributors include: Kenyon-Holden-Warsaw Mutual Insurance, Medtronics, Walmart, Toro, the Baalson family (in memory of Jake Baalson), Fastenal, Schwegman-Lundberg-Woessner Patent Attorneys, Alan and Ann Stolee, Paul Clauson, Dr. Jeff Pesta and the K-W Education Foundation.

Along with Thompson, adult mentors assisting the team are: Paul Clauson, Eddie Weyant, Jim Gould and Alan Stolee.

This year's team has only one senior, Casey Cooper. The juniors are: Kieran Weyandt, Sam Blastervold, Nicholas Kaiser, Ethan Houglum, Markus Rechtzigel and Joe Gould. Cole Newman is the only sophomore, and freshmen are Alan Clouse, Skylar and Xander Blauer and Charlie Severeid.

Team captain Casey Cooper handles much of the welding and fabricating. He said teamwork plays a big role in how they operate. Like a sports team, each person may have different roles to play such as welding, programming, electronics, artwork, finances and building.

Robotics brings students and adults together from different places and groups, he said, yet this makes them connected. Cooper's favorite part is that they are actually building real robots.

He said the challenging parts will be to make sure their robot can maneuver, get their timing right and overcome obstacles. A lot can depend on the competition they get at Mariucci, he added.

At a table in the shop classroom, Nickolas Kaiser talked with Joe Gould and Cole Newman. Gould held up a mounting bracket that they made with the 3-D printer. They agreed that robotics has helped them understand and apply what they have learned in the classroom about electricity and mathematical calculations like parabolas.

Newman has worked on the programming aspects this year. He said is has a steep learning curve, but he has learned a lot from alumni mentor Bryan Pliscott. Other alumni assisting the team include Peter Clauson, Trevor Clouse, Sam Tudor and Mason Sanders.

A 2015 K-W graduate, Sanders is currently enrolled at South Central College in Faribault. He is able to bring his machining and welding skills to the group and enjoys sharing knowledge and insights.

As he leaned over the robot, discussing an aluminum bracket placement with Cooper, he said it's cool to see the younger guys stepping up and taking charge. Sanders said he loves the program, calling it "the best extra-curricular that schools offer," and adding that robotics gave him a huge lead at college in the areas of design and welding.

Freshman Skye Blauer is the only female on the team this year. She brings experience in the Lego robotics program and is helping a lot with sponsorship and record keeping this year. She is also in charge of the team's interpretation of the Steampunk theme.

Thompson is optimistic about the K-W Robotics Team. With the other mentors, he has built a decent program from scratch that is developing students' skills and character, and representing K-W well.

What's next? He shared that a grade 5-8 Lego robotics team was approved by the school district, but all the contest spots were full this year. That's OK, he said, they have the parts and will be ready next fall.

Reach Publisher and Editor Terri Lenz at 333-3148, or follow her on Twitter.com @KenyonLeader

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CITGO Innovation Academy Underwater Robotics Team Wins at International Competition – Yahoo Finance

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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, Feb. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Students from the CITGO Innovation Academy for Engineering, Environmental & Marine Science at Foy H. Moody High School took home two awards at the 2016 Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) International Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Competition, held at the state-of-the-art NASA Johnson Space Center's Neutral Buoyancy Lab in Houston.

Showcasing the world's best and brightest science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students, the MATE International ROV Competition was the final round in a series of science fairs that challenged student teams to design and build ROVs to tackle missions modeled after realistic ocean scenarios, focusing on ways underwater ROV technology can be adapted for use in harsh ocean and space environments. The finalists advanced from more than 20 regional contests that took place throughout Canada, Egypt, Hong Kong, Russia, Scotland, Turkey and the United States.

The 17-person AquaBot Technicians robotics team from the CITGO Innovation Academy received the competition's Aloha Award for its team spirit and friendliness. The team shared Texas-shaped wildflower seed cards to its fellow competitors as part of its goodwill campaign. Additionally, CITGO Innovation Academy student and AquaBot Technicians CEO Natasha Sanchez was named the competition's MVP for her strong team leadership and knowledgeable presentation of the team's ROV, which illustrated how such vehicles could be utilized in both inner and outer space. Sanchez is a high-achieving student who traveled to the White House in 2015 to demonstrate an underwater robot built by CITGO Innovation Academy students to First Lady Michelle Obama.

"For more than a decade now, CITGO has been supporting the Innovation Academy at Moody High School, training the next generation of STEM professionals," said Art Klein, CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery vice president. "The AquaBot Technicians are a perfect example of how STEM education focused on real-world scenarios is taking these young leaders further. After placing third in the regional competition, the team has proven to be a force on the international level, demonstrating that with proper instruction, our children can contend with the best and brightest from overseas. We congratulate the AquaBot Technicians on their strong performance at this prestigious competition."

"We strive to find opportunities for our students to engage in interactive education because it prepares them for situations they will encounter in the real world," said Sandra Clement, principal of Moody High School. "Commitment from CITGO is integral to granting our students access to opportunities like the MATE ROV Competition, enabling them to take STEM learning beyond the classroom."

For more than a decade, CITGO has supported the CITGO Innovation Academy at Moody High School. Students are exposed to upper-level engineering, math and science courses, in addition to a wealth of mentors, speakers and educational opportunities. Since the CITGO Innovation Academy's inception, nearly 800 students have gone through the program, many of them becoming engineers, computer scientists and professionals in other STEM fields. Contributions from CITGO include a water tank for the robotics team to practice on, in addition to helping to launch several programs within the school.

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Through the CITGO STEM Talent Pipeline program, the company actively supports the academic exploration of STEM education in the schools nearby its refineries in Corpus Christi, Texas; Lake Charles, Louisiana; and Lemont, Illinois. CITGO is dedicated to educational and social investment because of the company's belief in the abilities of local programs that empower the next generation to contribute to the economic growth of their communities.

About CITGO Corpus Christi RefineryThe CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery, which celebrated 80 years of operations in 2015, provides more than 1,000 jobs locally, while generating more than $345 million per year in support of the local economy through salaries, services and taxes. In addition to producing high-quality fuels for its network of nearly 5,500 independently owned and operated CITGO branded stations across the country, Corpus Christi refinery employees make a major positive impact on the community. In 2015 alone, CITGO employees in Corpus Christi volunteered more than 2,900 hours of their personal time to local and national charities. Since 2013, the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery and its employees have provided more than 10,000 volunteer hours and approximately $3.3 in support of community organizations such as United Way, Charlie's Place, Muscular Dystrophy Association, The Miracle League, Catholic Charities, the Special Olympics and a variety of environmental and preservation initiatives, such as the revitalization of the Gateway to Corpus Christi, Hans and Pat Suter Park and Adopt-A-Beach Clean Up. The 80th anniversary of the Corpus Christi Refinery last year was preceded by the 70th anniversary of the CITGO Lake Charles Refinery in 2014 and is being followed by the 90th anniversary of the CITGO Lemont Refinery in 2016, with CITGO facilities marking three significant milestones in three consecutive years. For more information on the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery, visit http://www.citgorefining.com/corpus-christi.

About CITGOCITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petrleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information, visitwww.CITGO.com.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/citgo-innovation-academy-underwater-robotics-team-wins-at-international-competition-300409649.html

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CITGO Innovation Academy Underwater Robotics Team Wins at International Competition - Yahoo Finance

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