Cupertino Courier Article:
Tech Studies

Picking up small balls and placing them in a tower may not seem like a difficult task for most high school students. Creating a robot that can do the same, however, is a challenge welcomed by the Monta Vista High School Robotics Team.

For six weeks, the team worked day and night to design and build a robot that could complete the task, and compete against robots created by other high school robotics teams at regional and national competitions.

Organized by FIRST--For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, a nonprofit organization based on the East Coast with the goal of getting high school students interested in the technology field, the competitions offer students the chance to create their own robot, based on specific goals.

Henry Chen, a senior at Monta Vista and president of the team, said that each year, the approximately 600 teams nationwide are given instructions to create a robot that can complete certain tasks, or play certain games. There are also size and weight specifications for the robot.

After receiving instructions in early January, the team then had six weeks to complete its robot and ship it off for the competition. Chen said this is the fourth year his team has competed.

"One of the coolest things about the competition is seeing the several hundred other ways of building the robot," Chen said.

Chen said the team of approximately 60 students had to first determine a strategy for creating a robot that could complete the required tasks. After designing the robot, the building began with the kit of basic parts provided by the organization, and raw materials, such as wood and metal, purchased by the team.

According to Chen, the robot cost approximately $10,000 to make. He said the team receives grants from Bay Area tech companies, including NASA, Hitachi, Xilinx and others, totaling approximately $30,000 each year. It costs $4,000 to attend each competition.

The robotics team is an extracurricular activity, with students working around required school work and other activities to build the robot. Part of the team also works to create a 3-D computer animation of the robot for another part of the competition.

Chen said the first year the Monta Vista team competed, it won an honorable mention for its animated robot. In the past two years, Chen said the team has placed fourth out of approximately 50 teams.

Before attending the competition, the aspiring engineers must prepare themselves. Chen said the members who have attended past competitions teach the new members how to act in the fun, but tense, atmosphere. Team members must be ready to repair the robot quickly, in case it breaks down.

Chen, who has been a member of the team for the past three years, said he has always been interested in computers and technology, but being part of the robotics team solidified his interest in the field. He said he decided to join the team after seeing how the members worked together. Interest in robotics may run in the family. His sister was one of the students who started the robotics team at Monta Vista four years ago.

"I saw the tightness of the group, how everyone gets to know each other quickly, and that really drew me in," Chen said. "It's a good simulation of an actual workplace, with students learning to balance school work and extracurricular activities."

This year's regional competition will take place on March 23 and 24 at San Jose State University. The national competition, which the Monta Vista team also plans to attend, will take place April 4 through 7 in Orlando, Fla.