MADISON – Following the theme “Nature’s Fury,” the sixth-grade LEGO Robotics team at Madison Elementary School exerted their own fury to ace regional competitors.

The sixth-grade LEGO Robotics team at Madison Elementary School earned first place in regional competition. The team includes (in random order) Ellie Cornett, Hugh Mitchell, Michael Nichols, Jeremy Sailors and Tom Teper. Mia Reed is sponsor. (CONTRIBUTED)

Sixth-graders Ellie Cornett, Hugh Mitchell, Michael Nichols, Jeremy Sailors and Tom Teper won the highest award for the region at the qualifier tournament held at Arab High School on Dec. 7. The team received the Champions award and will advance to state-level competition at Grissom High School on Jan. 25, 2014.

“Teams had to choose a natural disaster, identify a specific problem with the disaster and design an innovative solution for the problem,” team sponsor Kazemia N. ‘Mia’ Reed said.

“Madison Elementary focused on hurricanes. Instead of creating a solution to a problem associated with hurricanes, they looked at the source and developed a solution for eliminating hurricanes before they can form,” Reed said.

The team created a biodegradable blanket to deploy from the current buoy system that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has placed around the equator. “The blanket would reflect the sun’s rays and cause the ocean surface temperature to drop below the required 80 degrees Fahrenheit needed for hurricanes to form,” Reed said.

In their scenario, scientists would deploy the blanket only during hurricane-prone seasons. The blanket would disintegrate within days of deployment and wouldn’t harm sea life or aquatic plants because it is biodegradable.

“While the team prepares for the state competition, they wish to meet with more experts in the field in order to enhance their idea into an authentic solution for the prevention of hurricanes,” Reed said.