Gershow-Sponsored Team Wins Robotics Competition

Gershow Recycling Corp., Medford, N.Y., recently sponsored the Longwood High School, Middle Island, N.Y., Robotics Team in the Long Island FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Regional Robotics Competition, which was held in March at Hofstra University. The team brought home the Animation Award.

Throughout an intensive six weeks, the 24-student Longwood High School Robotics Team designed and built a life-size robot based on specifications mandated by the competition. Students were invited to visit the Gershow facility to select materials for their project and to reserve other materials. Gershow employees assisted the students by keeping a lookout for sheets of aluminum, bicycle sprockets and other items they requested and eventually delivered them.

The theme for this year’s FIRST Regional Robotics Competition was “Memoirs of a Dream.” Students submitted robots, videos, Web sites and logos for the competition.

Jonathan Abrams of Gershow Recycling attended the competition. “Students of the Longwood Robotics Team will be our future leaders, engineers and inventors,” he says. “Gershow Recycling is honored to support these outstanding students.”

Competing against more than 1,000 students from 29 Long Island school districts, the Longwood Robotics Team earned the Animation Award for its 30-second animation featuring a young student dreaming of his future and dedicating his creative talents and knowledge of technology toward the advancement of future generations.

Segway Human Transporter inventor Dean Kamen founded the FIRST Robotics Competition in 1989. More than 28,000 high school students in 33 regional events representing almost every state and several countries will participate in the competition this year. Participating students are eligible to apply for more than $8 million in scholarships from universities, colleges and companies that will be announced at the FIRST Championship, which is April 27-29 in Atlanta.  

“We are very proud of our Longwood team and feel our students are a powerful example of gracious professionalism,” Debbie Lang, team coordinator and a teacher at Longwood High School, says. “The team did a terrific job thanks to the help of many, including business partner, Gershow Recycling.”

Gershow Recycling also underwrites an annual $6,000 scholarship program that recognizes six graduating seniors from Longwood, Patchogue-Medford and Bellport high schools.

Gershow Recycling processes ferrous and nonferrous materials, cardboard and paper for recycling. More information is available at www.gershowrecycling.com.