By Hannah Park
Representatives from the Los Angeles Chargers, defense and aerospace company Ducommun, the University of California, Irvine (UCI); district dignitaries; Miss Fountain Valley and more visited Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) on Wednesday, March 27 to recognize the 9520 Rock-it-Robotics team’s win at the “STEM on the Sidelines” competition. FVHS celebrated the victory by featuring a special “tailgate” menu and holding a lunchtime assembly in the bowl.
“It’s something we’ve never been able to experience before,” bot designer and junior Ian Tsai said. “It was really cool that we were able to win and bring a lot of resources and interest to the robotics program at our school because of it.”
After gathering in robotics teacher Ryan Pham’s room, the representatives headed to the cafeteria and watched a video of the competition.
They then headed to the bowl, where Ducommun Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stephen Oswald, Pham, Los Angeles Chargers player Easton Stick and Principal Paul Lopez made speeches while students waited in lines for buffalo wings, “Walking Tacos” and grilled cheeseburgers.
Stick also threw robotics-themed shirts into the crowd, which was a highlight of the event for many students.
The sixth annual “STEM on the Sidelines” competition, held on Dec. 9, 2023, at the SoFi Stadium, was organized by Ducommun, UCI’s School of Engineering and the Los Angeles Chargers. 19 teams from Orange County and Los Angeles County participated in the event. Each team designed a robot to navigate a series of obstacle courses.
“The key idea of ‘STEM on the Sidelines’ is to have the robot resemble a trainee or football player going through training challenges,” team captain and junior Travis Wu said. “These challenges involved strength, accuracy and speed. For example, one of the challenges was driving as far as possible with your robot while carrying heavy metal weights on the robot, demonstrating the strength compartment of a football player.”
FVHS’s team excelled in all three components, as well as robot design and team spirit. Wu, Tsai, programmer Jackie Nguyen, builder Kyle Delengocky and driver Donaven Tran carried the five-member team of juniors to victory.
From students to CEOs, everyone agreed that this event not only illustrated FVHS’s prowess in robotics, but also the burgeoning importance of robotics in education and the industry at large.
“You can have a hell of a career if you’re in STEM … don’t forget that!” Oswald said. “Robotics is very important, because … we want robots to do things that are dangerous, to do things that are repetitive. Robots will help companies be more successful and more competitive. And what that means is more jobs and better livelihoods for U.S. citizens.”
What’s more, robotics offers far-reaching benefits for students who participate.
“I’ve been in robotics since I was nine. So I’ve always really liked robotics as a hobby and also as a passion,” Tsai said. “In terms of the robotics program … It’s something that will teach students important skills. Not just mechanical and programming skills, but also soft skills like communication and leadership.”
The robotics team looks forward to two more regional competitions this season. They hope to qualify for the FIRST Robotics Competition World Championships at the Orange County Regionals. Wu has great hopes for next year’s season, too.
“We want to make a legacy for both the school and other teams to see how fun STEM and robotics can be!”
