Robotics Club members aid top area H.S. students

Nearly 30 of Philadelphia's young engineering hopefuls need not look far for technical expertise these days. For the past five weeks, members of the year-old Penn Robotics Club -- a division of the Engineering Student Activities Council -- have been working alongside students from Mastbaum and Carver high schools as they prepare for the seventh annual For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology Robotics Competition to be held this spring. Over a six-week period, the high school students -- with the support of the undergraduate Engineering students and professional engineers -- work together to construct a champion robot capable of lifting and positioning cloth disks. Each group participating in this competition receives the same starting kit of materials, which it must use to construct a robot that cannot exceed a weight of 130 pounds or a set of precise dimensions. Temple University will host the regional competition from March 11 to 13. The Philadelphia team will also participate in a national robotics competition in mid-April at Walt Disney World's Epcot Center in Orlando, Fla. "We had to come up with innovative solutions to circumvent material limitations," Engineering sophomore Johnny Yau said. "We got around that." According to Edward Francis, a senior at Carver, "It's amazing how everyone gets the same kit of parts but there are so many different robots [at the competition]." And Engineering and Wharton sophomore Kenneth Chin, the founder and president of the Robotics Club, said that, "We're going to have fun and get a great hands-on experience.? We're here to help the community." About 12 of the 25 active members of the Penn organization meet with the high school students weekly at Mastbaum, which has an extensive machine shop. The high school students usually convene on their own two weekdays after school and on weekends. Last Friday night, they had a sleepover at Mastbaum. The high school students were chosen to participate in the project on the basis of their attendance, grades and recommendations from teachers. The project extends beyond the construction of the robot, since it also entails designing and animating the machine, fundraising, the development of a promotional video and World Wide Web site and the creation of a team T-shirt and button. "It's a much more encompassing project than any other," said Loraine Bell, the team's co-advisor from Mastbaum. "It gives the kids an opportunity to really shine? and appreciate science and technology in a way they never did before." She added that the students learned to draw skills from one another and "pull the best aspects of each team member." Explained Bill Buchanan, a carpentry instructor at Mastbaum, "This competition is not a particular trade; it takes a lot of different talents? and a lot of critical thinking." McNeil Consumer Healthcare -- a division of Johnson and Johnson -- is sponsoring the Mastbaum-Carver team. McNeil has sponsored this team for the past three years, though this is the first year the University is involved. "The high school students are more inclined to question and express their ideas to the University students rather than professional engineers," said Malcolm Mills, an engineer with McNeil. He added that the interaction with the University is a new approach. "The team takes more ownership for design," he said. "In previous years, the professionals drove the process more." Olga Torres, a bilingual tutor at Mastbaum and the mother of one of the participants, said she is working to increase parental involvement and expects that eight parents will join the team in Florida. "All I've been doing is eating, drinking and sleeping robotics," Torres said. Channy Loeum, a junior at Carver, said that, "[The project] strengthened my interest in the engineering industry.? I have a lot of fun doing this, and I think I'm going to join again next year."

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