The Robbinsville High School Robotics Team, Nemesis, took third place at the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) World Championship Competition in St. Louis in April. The team is sponsored by the New York Chapter of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists and Coptis.

Teams have six weeks to build a robot to compete in a specific game. In 2014, the contest was Aerial Assist, with the objective of shooting balls into a low or high-level goal. Bellerophon, Nemesis’ creation, was designed by team members using CAD software, and then constructed using the students’ specifications. Sporting a claw and a spring-powered linear punch shooter, Bellerophon was designed to swiftly grab balls and launch them into the high-scoring goal.

Prior to reaching St. Louis, Nemesis was a finalist at the Lenape championship and won the prestigious Chairman Award. The team went on to win the Mid-Atlantic Region championship to qualify for the World Championship, where Nemesis competed against more than 400 teams from around the world.

During the competition, Nemesis overcame 99 other schools to win the Archimedes Division, before taking third in the World Championship. Avon CEO Sheri McCoy was on hand in St. Louis to congratulate the winners.

Now, Nemesis is focused on 2015, building a better robot and seeking sponsors to contribute to the construction and registering for competitions. In return, sponsors get exposure on the team Nemesis website and during the competitions.