Assemblyman Gatto Visits the Clark Magnet School Robotics Team as their Competition Date Draws Closer

I visited the Clark Magnet School today in La Crescenta to say hello to their competitive robotics team -- the 696 "Circuit Breakers" -- and take a tour of their workshop and present certificates to the student leaders.  The team is currently preparing for the FIRST Robotics Competition, which tests the engineering prowess of the high school students from around the world.

I presented certificates to the student leaders of the team

In January, student teams receive the same box-of-parts and have six weeks to design, construct, and test their robot.  The teams then compete in a spirited, no-holds-barred tournament complete with time clocks, referees and cheerleaders.  The Los Angeles Regional FIRST Robotics Competition will be held at the Long Beach Arena, March 20-23, 2013.  My visit came with only have 18 days remaining to complete a robot that will be able to climb a pyramid and shoot frisbees accurately to specified goals.

Last year's design could be driven around a basketball court with a
remote control and accurately shoot hoops

In addition to learning engineering, electronic, and computer science skills, the students are also learning business, marketing, and fundraising skills.  They exercised those particular skills by asking me to give a shout-out for their Kickstarter page at team696.org/donate.  They estimate that the final cost to construct the robot will be about $2,000 dollars.

The Clark Magnet School Robotics Team