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Up, up and away!
It came in a box to the Center for Advanced Research and Technology, weighing more than 120 pounds and waiting for the right students to bring it to life. J.W., as Anderson is known, was going to be one of those students. It was a kit for making a robot to compete in one of the many multinational FIRST Robotics competitions, something no group of students in the Central Valley has ever attempted. The CART robotics team -- made of 20 boys and two girls from Clovis Unified and Fresno Unified school districts -- spent six weeks and hundreds of after-school hours building the robot before shipping it off for the regional competition in San Jose April 1. "I had wanted to go out with a bang and had been practicing a long time to be in shape to swim well, but when [the robotics team] came along I knew this is what I needed to be doing," J.W. said. "I decided this would be the most beneficial for me in the future. It's, well, it's building a robot, it's doing something bigger than any other high school student can do." The students got hooked on FIRST robotics -- a nonprofit education group founded in 1992 to encourage interest in science and technology in students -- after hearing inventor and founder Dean Kamen give a lecture. Right after he spoke, several of the CART students attending rushed the platform to find out how they could compete. Since then the students have pulled several all-nighters and countless after-school meetings learning not only how to design, engineer and build their robot for competition, but also how to work together, raise money, meet deadlines and work hard. "This is not just about building a robot, but about building up people, skills, work ethics and opportunities, especially for minorities and women," said Monica Au, CART engineering teacher and team leader, who would like to see more girls in robotics. Students who were afraid to speak out in small groups learned how to share their ideas and give presentations to businesses. Students who had trouble working with others learned to collaborate and share tasks. Students with no interest in school found themselves dedicated and determined. "Being at CART and on the robotics team has changed my life. I am a completely different person now, and even my parents have noticed. They're pretty excited about it," said Richard Tani, a senior from Buchanan High. "This project has taught me to really see the big picture, and nothing has ever done that for me." The students also had the unique opportunity to work with local engineers and inventors from Pelco, Grundfos and California State University, Fresno. Ken Lum, a mentor for the team and engineer from Grundfos, was especially impressed with the team's dedication and problem-solving skills. "I was amazed on their abilities. Within the group, they already have students who know CAD (a computer-aided design program), fabrication, electrical, programming and graphic design. By participating in the competition, it has given them a chance to show their skills," Lum said. "I get pretty excited about building robots and especially about working with students who share my interest." The students got so excited about their project that at one point the fire alarm was tripped. Wanting their robot, the Au-bot named for Monica Au, to make a grand entrance in front of parents and mentors, the team hooked up a fog machine for the robot to come through. The effect was so great that the fire alarm went off. Though their hours were long and their deadlines were tight, the students became more than just a team. "We're like one, big ol' family," Andrea said. Derrick Carrasco, Buchanan High junior, said there were a few tough meetings when personalities clashed, but ultimately students learned not only to work together, but that they worked better together. Lum remembers one meeting when the team discovered that their robot was 10 pounds over the 130-pound limit and had only three days to fix it. "In order to reduce weight, we had to disassemble, modify and reassemble the robot. Many of the students stayed until 4 o'clock in the morning," Lum said. Even the parents put in extra hours to help the Au-bot get built by sending meals to late-night meetings, helping in fund-raising efforts and driving students around. "I think this is just an amazing program. We just push wherever we can for the kids," said Paula Carrasco, whose son Derrick is on the team. "They have worked so hard. Right now is just the beginning, but in a few years this will be a big thing in the Valley." And while the team has been supported by local businesses, from Grundfos to Lusk Metals & Plastics, with money, parts and mentors, the students need even more. The $8,500 it takes to register and build a robot was raised by the team, but if it performs well at regionals, the team will need to raise even more to send some of the students to nationals in Atlanta April 15. The CART robotics team is competing with funding against schools in Northern and Southern California that have more than $75,000 to play with each year. While CART's budget of $15,000 was just enough to build a robot and make team T-shirts, others build four or five robots and have special jackets and shirts to wear on competition day. The CART team members said they'd love to have around $40,000 a year for their robotics team. "We'd really like to have enough money to keep things going this year and to carry over for next year so we don't have to start from scratch every time," Derrick said. The ultimate goal is for the program to grow as big as sporting teams are in the Valley. "This isn't really about winning and competing for us," J.W. said. "We'd like to see [the team] become big and successful. Wouldn't you just think that an extracurricular activity that uses robotics to get high school students hooked on engineering and science is something that is desperately needed?"
Donations to the CART robotics team can be sent to
More information on the Au-bot and its creators can be found at http://cad.cart.org/robotics. |
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