NEWS; KIDS COMPETE WITH LEGO ROBOTS (TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY)

MIDDLE ISLAND, NY, Jan. 20—Most kids play with Legos at some point during their childhood, but a select few gifted children use the toys to compete. Windham, NH’s “Nerds” played best, using nanotechnology to make a robot made from only Lego products perform tasks from everyday life.

Brookhaven Labs and Battelle, as well as the School-Business Partnership of Long Island, sponsored the Lego Tournament. Longwood High School provided space for the event free of charge.

The Lego League Tournament starts in September, when FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) announces the theme of the challenge for the year. This year’s challenge was to apply the science of nanotechnology to everyday life in a creative manner.

The robots were built to accomplish a variety of goals, called “missions.” For example, the robot would act out “individual atom manipulation” by removing a white lego from a plane surface without disturbing other lego “atoms” around it.

Another goal was the test of “nanotube strength.” This required the Lego robot to lift a truck on an “elevator,” which was a thin carbon cable. The robot had to first move the truck onto the elevator frame, and then activate the lift.

The Nerds from Windham, N.H., traveled to Middle Island to compete in the First Lego League (FLL) Tournament. They were the only team not from Long Island to compete Sunday.

The FLL allows children from ages 9 to 14 to solve “real world” problems by using math, science and Legos, according to its press release. The children organize in after school clubs with mentors and coaches, who assist them as they research, build and compete with the robots.

The robots are made only from Lego products. “The children receive a kit of products, and they can only use what is in the kit,” said Janet Anderson, Director of LI-FIRST. “The kits are made by Lego.”

Robotics teams have programmers, builders and researchers. “We type in what we want the robot to do on a program called Robolab on the computer, and then we upload it onto the RCX Box, which is attached to the motors on the wheels of the robot,” said Christopher, 12, of Longwood Junior High School. “The program tells the robot what to do.”

Builders provide a pivotal role for the robotics team. “We build the robots and bring them to the tournament,” said Mike, 13, from Beach Street Middle School. “In the beginning, it is more about following instructions, but later on, it takes on a more creative approach.”

Coaches provide guidance for the children. “We reinforce teamwork and individual thinking,” said Tom Larsen, Assistant Coach for Beach Street Middle School. “We teach the children to solve problems as well.”

Judges determined the scores, who based them on four criteria: project presentation, robot performance, technical design and programming of the robot, and teamwork. Referees oversaw the competition. Each mission also had a previously specified point value.

The Nerds dominated the tournament throughout, routing the thirty-three other schools in every round. Rank was determined by taking the highest score of the three rounds, and The Nerds’ high score was 347, far outpacing the second-place “Brooker-bots” from Stony Brook, who had a high score of 231.

Stony Brook School, a private institution, sent a second team to the tournament. This team, the “Stony-bots,” also was in the top ten, placing ninth with a high score of 160.

North Country Road Middle School in Miller Place sent two teams; both share the same nickname, except one is English (Techno Panthers) and the other is Spanish (Pantrero-de-Techno). “Techno Panthers” came in 5th place with a high score of 184, and “Pantrero-de-Techno” placed 30^th.

Mt. Sinai Middle School fielded a team as well; the “MS Stangbots” placed 11^th. Boyle Road Elementary School’s “SPBoyled Bots” from Port Jefferson Station placed 20^th.

Teams received awards even if their robot did not win the competition. Another component of the tournament was a research contest, and the team with the best and most practical research won an award. Teams won awards for excellent teamwork and for “rising stars” in the Lego League.

NEWS; STARBUCK'S LAND NOT FOR SALE (TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY)

A 13.2-acre plot of land Suffolk County Legislator Joseph Caracappa (R-Selden) promised to restore for the community of Selden remains in the hands of its private owner, because he is unwilling to sell it, according to the legislator.

“Owners are in contract with someone else and are not interested in a sale to the County,” an email from an aide to Mr. Caracappa said. The owner of the land, who lives in Florida, could not be reached for comment.

Mr. Caracappa’s campaign for the preservation for the “Starbucks property”—a privately owned area surrounding the Selden Starbucks on Route 25—dates back to 1995, when he wanted to place the Suffolk County 6^th Precinct there. Since the Precinct was placed elsewhere, Mr. Caracappa shifted his focus to more community-centered proposals for the property, including walking paths and fields for child recreation.

Mr. Caracappa proposed a resolution in the Suffolk County Legislature in February 2005 for acquiring the land for “use as playground, ballfields (sic), and/or other community recreational needs for the captioned property.” County Executive Steve Levy (D-Coram) signed the resolution. “We wanted to make it a town center for people to gather together,” Mr. Caracappa said.

“The plan was for the county to purchase the land and for the county to enter into an agreement with the town of Brookhaven to develop the preserve,” Mr. Caracappa said. “We would also enter into agreements with civic associations, little leagues and schools to clean and maintain the county park.”

“The county sent a letter to the owner, asking the level of interest in selling the property to the county for development,” said Mr. Caracappa. “The letter has a checklist, and he checked ‘uninterested,’ so we never made a monetary offer.”

“The county has much more flexibility when purchasing land,” Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Kathleen Walsh said. “Counties can purchase land and create parklands out of it, while towns are only allowed to preserve green areas.”

The land is near secondary schools in the Middle Country School District, and Ms. Walsh said the schools saw use for the land as well. “The cross country teams would have a place to run,” she said. “Right now they run through residential neighborhoods because they can’t just run on a track.”

The land is mostly zoned as residential property,” said Mr. Caracappa. “If the plot was to be changed to commercial zoning, the value would increase, especially along the Route 25 corridor because they would want to put stores there.”

The 13.2-acre plot is the largest local open space in both Mr. Caracappa’s and Ms. Walsh’s respective districts, which in fact are nearly identical in both size and location.

PROFILE; NEW FIRE COMMISSIONERS (TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY)

New fire commissioners were elected in the towns of Selden and Centereach. Frank Rutilosso, from Centereach, and Dennis Carmen, of Selden, are the new faces of their respective fire departments. Both have lived on Long Island throughout their lives, and now they plan to give back to the communities that elected them.

Selden

Dennis Carmen, 39, joined a fire district embroiled in scandal. Newsday reported in November on elected Selden fire officials spending taxpayer money recklessly at conferences around the country and not providing receipts for their purchases[removed comma] including items such as alcohol, which is non-reimbursable, according to state law.

Morale is low in the firehouse, but Carmen is looking to change that. “I’d like to see a little stronger oversight,” he said. “That means you need good people in the office to run it correctly.”

Carmen has lived his entire life in Selden; he graduated from Newfield High School. His father was a Teamster, his mother a receptionist at a dentist’s office. “I enjoyed my childhood, and I want to go back,” he said. “I had a lot of friends and I knew all my neighbors on the block.”

After graduating, he took an assortment of jobs, including carpentry, electrical and plumbing jobs. “I basically did anything that paid,” he said. Carmen joined the volunteer fire service for the Selden firehouse in 1985, where he has served ever since. He has also maintained a career in law enforcement.

Carmen has not only responded to emergencies in Selden. “I have responded all over Long Island, [also] to the wildfires,” he said. “We responded to Ground Zero.”

Carmen did not comment on the scandal, citing the ongoing investigation into the actions of fire commissioners. He did express concern, however, about the use and abuse of taxpayer dollars. “Every single firefighter here is a taxpayer as well,” he said. “Even firefighters are concerned about taxes.”

Carmen also did not appreciate the public response to the scandal. “Whenever something bad happens in a fire district, they take it out on the fire department,” he said. “They are two separate entities.”

Carmen will serve a five-year term as fire commissioner for a district of over 30,000 people and oversee a budget of over $3 million. He was sworn into office Jan. 1.

Centereach

Frank Rutilosso, of Centereach, has won his first run for elective office. He is taking the Commissioners seat of a more stable firehouse than his counterpart in Selden.

Rutilloso is the son of a Foreman of the AMF. He was born in Brooklyn, but he grew up in Lindenhurst. His mother was a housekeeper.

Rutilosso joined the Navy after high school. “I was in the Service four years,” he said. “I came out of the service, and my friends had joined the Lindenhurst department.”

He joined them “the minute I came back,” and his friends continue to serve in Lindenhurst. “I’m still a benevolent member for North Lindenhurst, but now my focus is only the Centereach Fire Department,” he said.

The election process was more involved than Rutilloso expected. “I thought it was going to be easy,” he said. “This was kind of exciting during the last minute when I was trying to get neighbors and friends to vote.”

Turnout was low, possibly because the election was not held on Election Day in November. “It seems like nobody comes out for these elections,” he said. “Most people don’t understand that they can vote for Fire Commissioner.”

Rutilloso wants to continue the positive legacy of the Centereach firehouse. “I didn’t come in with no mandate for change or any issues,” he said. “I came in just to get back involved with my own community.”

NEWS; CHOICES AT CENTEREACH HIGH SCHOOL (TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY)

CENTEREACH, Jan. 8—Approximately 275 students came to school after hours for an evening of activity and social awareness Monday to take part in a night of recreation called “Choices” at Centereach High School.

The Brookhaven Committee for Better Choices, which lobbied for and received a $50,000 grant through State Sen. John Flanagan (R-East Northport), sponsored the rec night.

“The grant is to apply to anti-violence and substance abuse programs at all four secondary schools,” said Mark Anderson, co-chair of the committee, and member of the School Board. “Senator Flanagan is interested in helping the district.”

Students of Centereach High School were the only ones allowed to attend the evening activity, as students’ identification was checked at the entrance. Students were issued a wristband to ensure proper attendance tabulation.

Middle Country is not the only school district to have a recreational after-school program. “Sachem School District has a program like this [as well,]” said Ken Gutmann, the other co-chair of the committee, and principal of Oxhead Road Elementary.

The grant helped the committee pay for twelve counselors—teachers—to chaperone the event. In addition, three security guards and numerous adult volunteers were on hand, to ensure a safe environment for the students. “We are here to have students interact with faculty in a different way,” said Bruno Bernardino, a French teacher at the high school.

There was a larger meaning for the event for some. “We want to go back to a time when the school was the center of the community,” said Kim Tarpey, member of both the committee and the school board. “Not one incident has been reported during these rec nights.”

Co-directors Sandra Sardoni and Steven Restivo ran the event. “We are here to help organize, run and come up with activities,” said Ms. Sardoni, an art teacher at Dawnwood Middle School. “Our goal is for students to make better choices.”

Ms. Sardoni left literature on assorted topical information on a table for students to take and read, including pamphlets on defensive driving, date rape, drinking and drug abuse. “We want to help all students learn about different things,” she said.

Students attending had a large choice of activities. There were ping-pong tables, hackey sack circles, a cosmetology center, Dance Dance Revolution and other video games, refreshments and a deejay, as well as basketball and volleyball in the gym. Many students chose to dance to the eclectic music from the deejay, and even more witnessed the break dancing of Centereach High School Guidance Counselor Rick Rivera.

Students said they had a good time. “I came to have fun,” said Mikaela Melendez, 14. “I danced, played basketball and volleyball, and I am going to play some ping pong.”

Most heard about the event during morning announcements, but others heard via word of mouth. “I heard about it from a friend,” said Melendez.

James Smith, 15, heard during about the evening event during the morning announcements. He said he enjoyed himself and “would come back if it is held again.”

Others came to escape boredom. “We had nothing better to do,” said Katie Anzalone, 15.

Students did not pay too much attention to the informational literature, but a few snatched the booklets on safe driving. Nearly all students said they were not going to take or look at the pamphlets available to them.