El Centro high school robot racks up miles

Central Union High School’s Robotics Club is gearing up for the Renewable Energies Summit after battling fellow techies and their metal mischief makers in San Diego last week.

JOSELITO VILLERO PHOTO FROM LEFT: Central Union High School’s Juan Gastelo, 17, Ricardo Sosa, 18, Wei-Jung Chen, 15, and Raouf Moshayedi, 17, demonstrate their robot’s ability to kick a socker ball Friday at CUHS.

The Robotics Club, founded by mathematics teacher J.P. Garcia in 2006, was started when the California chapter of Math Engineering and Science Achievement, approached Garcia to start a club for Central High. Since its inception the Robotics Club has grown in members and grown in achievements, Garcia said. “I’m impressed to see what the kids can do with what little resources we have. Our first robot was made out of PVC, galvanized steel and wood,” Garcia recalls with a chuckle. “Ever since then the running joke is that every robot we make has to have a little piece of wood on it.”

It was the creativity of the first Robotics Club members that earned them the Judges Award trophy at their first competition in 2006, Garcia said. This year the group was the only robotics club in the Imperial Valley with a robot in the MESA competition at the Sports Arena.

“We are trying to get Holtville into robotics,” George Rodiles, a 15-year-old sophomore and Robotics Club member, said. “Southwest and Calexico (high schools) have clubs, but they weren’t able to go this year.”

Lucky enough for the Central team, they have been able to get many different sponsors this school year.

“In the past we’ve had big donations from Qualcomm and the Rotary Club,” Garcia said. “This year we have fewer sponsors but we’re happy that there are groups and individuals in the Valley that are willing to donate to us.”

The 17 student members enjoy the annual competition in San Diego.

“It’s a new experience for me. I love going; it’s a blast,” George said. “We’re all one big happy family when we go there. It’s a friendly competition.”

“I gave up basketball for robotics,” Maritza Lopez, a 15-year-old sophomore, said. “I was our team scout so I walked around and saw what other teams were doing with their robots. It was really fun.”

“You go a lot of places and meet a lot of people,” team member Federico “Fed-X” Palafox, a 14-year-old freshman, said of his first competition experience. “There are teams from Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Mexico, all over.” Seasoned veteran and team captain Jacob Magos, an 18-year-old senior, had a different perspective. “We use the same materials and same electronics,” Magos said. “We have the same arguments and use the same learning process, but the robot we come up with is always different and it’s always fun every year.” The benefits of the club are easy to see, Garcia said.

JOSELITO VILLERO PHOTO FROM LEFT: Central Union High School’s Ricardo Sosa, 18, and Raouf Moshayedi, 17, demonstrate their robot’s ability to kick a socker ball Friday at CUHS.

 “There are 27 Robotics Club alumni in college and at least 12 of them are majoring in mechanical or electrical engineering,” he said as he flashed his CUHS Engineering Wall of Fame list.

Next on the team’s agenda is fitting a mechanical arm back on “CB17.5,” this year’s robot, so the rover can serve hors d’oeuvres to the attendees at the Renewable Energy Summit on Tuesday night.

The team will also give a presentation Thursday showcasing their club to potential sponsors at the summit.