OCTC Rover Teams Both Earn Top 10 Finishes

by Bernie Hale

Owensboro, KY (04/17/2019) — Owensboro Community & Technical College's Rover Teams success continued this year with Team 2 earning a ninth place finish and Team 1 earning a fourth place honor. With more than 100 teams scheduled to compete, OCTC was once again the only community and technical college on the roster. OCTC's Team 1 also took home the award as the "Most Improved" team in terms of points and time combined. Rover teams must completethe challenging course in their human powered rover and earn additional points accomplishing challenges along the way.

The OCTC team placed 27th in 2017 and 9th in 2018. OCTC expanded to two teams to offer the experience for more students. OCTC's Rover Team 1 and 2 worked collaboratively on both vehicles, but due to NASA requirements are listed as two separate teams. Payne said, "we are one big rover team, until we arrive on site in Huntsville. Even then we are still one team - especially if a rover needs attention."

Dr. Scott Williams, OCTC President added, "We are so proud of the students and of the entire team. The team work, problem solving, and crisis management techniques that they all employed during the process will serve them well in future endeavors. We can't wait to see what the committee has in store for next year!"

"I'm very proud of all the team members. Their dedication along with their strategic plans for the competition helped both teams finish strong. It was definitely a team effort with the advisors providing guidance and advice throughout the rover build and during the competition in Huntsville" commented Shawn Payne, faculty advisor for the teams.

The OCTC Rover Team 1 is made up of Jeremy Hamilton, Nick Clouse, Courtney Wright, Elijah Christian (D), Tabatha Humphrey (D), Jacob Wethington. The OCTC Rover Team 2 is made up of Hunter Jarboe, Jessica Wimsatt, Casey Carmon, Olivia Jenkins (D), Gage Camron (D), Will Scott. The (D) designation denotes the students selected as drivers for the competition.

Payne credits the teamwork among the students and faculty across many disciplines for their continued success. "We couldn't have made it without the help from Computerized Manufacturing & Machining (CMM) students, GO FAME CMM students, Industrial Maintenance Technology (IMT), and Welding faculty and students" added Payne. "We are able to field two teams because of student interest but also because of additional financial support." Additional help included support from: Technical Training Aids, NASA Kentucky, Be Real Sports, the Alcoa Foundation, and the William & Marilyn Young Foundation.

This year's OCTC Rover Team Committee consists of Randy Crowe and Danny Moseley-OCTC CMM Faculty, Dr. Meredith Skaggs-OCTC Communications Faculty, and Mary Kinney-OCTC's Retention Coordinator and Adjunct Psychology Faculty.

For more information on OCTC's Rover Teams please contact shawn.payne@kctcs.edu.

Owensboro Community & Technical College is one of the sixteen community and technical colleges that make up the Kentucky Community & Technical College System. OCTC serves the KY counties of Daviess, Hancock, Ohio and McLean. OCTC has three campuses in Daviess County and a Center and Annex in Hancock County. OCTC strives to serve the communities in the service area by providing associate degree education for transfer, state of the art technical education for students focusing on entering the workforce, customized business and industry solutions through the Workforce Solutions division, and adult education and business and industry testing through the SkillTrain unit.

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System is the Commonwealth's largest postsecondary institution with 16 colleges and more than 70 campuses. We also are Kentucky's largest provider of workforce training and online education. Through partnerships with business and industry, we align our programs to meet the needs of local employers. We help students fulfill their dreams of creating a better life through programs that lead directly to jobs or help them transfer to one of our four-year partners.

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