Schools
Crescenta Valley Student Wins at Robotics Competition
Student who is part of the CVHS robotics team was honored for her commitment to nurturing STEM programs with youngsters.
A Crescenta Valley High student was recently honored at an international robotics competition April 27 after being selected as a finalist at an LA-area event.
Isabel Martos-Repath, a junior at Crescenta Valley High School, earned the Dean's List Award at the FIRST Championship competition held in St. Louis, Mo. The Dean's List Award is given to team members who demonstrate commitment and leadership to the ideals of FIRST, dedication to their team, technical expertise, entrepreneurship and creativity.
Martos-Repath traveled to Missouri along with two other members of the CVHS robotics team, 589 Falkon Robotics, and a team mentor.
"It [the competition] presents real-world challenges that require a collective effort of the team, working together, to conceptualize, design, strategize, fabricate, build, wire, program and operate robots to complete core missions," said Lyn Repath-Martos, team mentor and Isabel's mother.
The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition is a yearly event in which teams of high school students from many countries put their minds together and build robots to compete against each other, or complete a set of tasks.
Teams are given specific parts, then are allowed a budget and can buy or make specialized parts as they build their robots. They must also communicate exceptionally well with each other, negotiate and reach a consensus on all decisions.
Participants have six weeks to construct their robot.
Falkon Robotics this year built their creation, nicknamed Stephanie, a robot driven by a six-belt wheel system, complete with a dumper/hook to score points during games and a detachable plexiglass wall used for defense, Lyn said.
The team competed in two regional tournaments in San Diego (March 7-9) and Los Angeles (March 21-23). It was the latter where Isabel was nominated for the Dean's List Award along with team member Heather Abrams.
Isabel, along with 10 other winners of the Dean's List Award, received many accolades, including a trophy, written recommendation to future college's and employers, a plaque and an all expenses paid trip to the FIRST Dean's List Award Summit.
"FIRST--at all levels--is 'sport for the mind' and 'the hardest fun you’ll ever have,'" Lyn said.
