STEMbots place 2nd at local Robotics qualifier

The Lee HIgh School Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Academy STEMbots placed second at the First Tech Challenge (FTC) qualifying event at Roosevelt High School on Saturday, Jan. 21. This earned them a trip to the Alamo FTC Championship Tournament, to be held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on March 1 and 2, 2012.

FTC is designed for those who want to compete head to head, using a sports model. Teams of up to 10 students are responsible for designing, building and programming their robots to compete in an alliance format against other teams. The robot kit is programmed using a variety of languages. Teams, including coaches, mentors and volunteers, are required to develop strategy and build robots based on sound engineering principles.

"Kudos go to Matthew Orta and Jose Arredondo for designing and building the robot, and also to Ryan Rodgers for driving the robot and the team to success," said David Rubalcaba, team coach and STEM robotics teacher. Other team members were: Amanda Balderas (team captain), Cyrstal Magallanes, Andrea Benavidez, Toby Cruz, Rudy Juarez, Joshua Turner, Augustine Paniagua, Miguel Nze, Vincent Valdez, Diego Alcoz, Evan Scott, Benjamin Munoz and Salvador Pulido. "A special 'thank you' goes to Mr. Ron Pundt for being the driver coach for this event."

Posted on January 24, 2012