IN THE PIPELINE - Members of the Lancaster High School robotics team give a presentation Thursday at the International Test and Evaluation Association Conference at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds in Lancaster. From left are Markie Broderick, Brad Voracek, Jessica Bacchus and Emma Reed. The Lancaster High School team was among last year's ITEA grant recipients, and members discussed the work they have done with the association's financial assistance. RON SIDDLE/Valley Press

Grants to aid engineering, science programs

By ALLISON GATLIN
Valley Press Staff Writer

That's one way to look at the more than $20,000 in grants to local high school organizations made by the Antelope Valley and China Lake chapters of the International Test and Evaluation Association this week during their annual workshop.

The nonprofit association of professionals involved in testing military systems is meeting this week at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, and Thursday they distributed grants to seven organizations dedicated to encouraging math, science and technology education.

"That's a big thing for us, to encourage kids to get engineering and science degrees and work here in the Antelope Valley," said Rey Garza, Antelope Valley ITEA chapter president.

Local technical industries, facing the challenge of replacing the large numbers of the work force retiring, have found they have better success in retaining new employees if they are from the local area.

"We are geographically challenged," said Annette Weisenseel , chief of the Test Techniques Development Flight at the Air Force Flight Test Center and coordinator for the ITEA grants program.

Supporting programs in local schools helps to build the pipeline for future employees, she said.

Programs submit proposals for the grant funds, which are evaluated by a committee looking at how the funds will be used, how the program relates to the flight test mission and how the effort will help others learn as well.

"The more students it reaches, the better," Weisenseel said.

Those receiving this year's funding included Lancaster High School's Eagle Robotics team, with $5,000; Tehachapi High School's Cyber Penguins robotics team, $5,000; Antelope Valley High School's Robolopes robotics team, $3,000; Knight High School's pre-engineering pathway program, $2,500; Knight High School's rocketry club, $2,500; Knight High School's forensic analysis project, $900; and Littlerock High School's enhanced physics/chemistry laboratory, $1,500.

The robotics teams from Lancaster and Tehachapi high schools, recipients of grants last year as well, presented the work they have done with the financial assistance to the conference attendees.

The robotics teams participate in the program presented by FIRST, or For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, an international organization that promotes science education.

Teams have six weeks to design and build their robots to perform a specific task, which then competes against other teams' creations.

Both schools have developed winning traditions with their teams - Lancaster's program is 9 years old, and Tehachapi's is 8 - and have admirable records of producing graduates who go on to study engineering in college.

One former member of Tehachapi's team had no intention of attending college when he began, but thanks to his involvement in robotics is now studying computer science while working for Northrop Grumman Corp. "He's an example of where we can go with this program," said Samantha Cinquegrani , a junior in Tehachapi High School's Engineering and Manufacturing Academy program.

But these students are involved in more than designing and building robots. "There's a whole other side of robotics that doesn't really have anything to do with the robot," Lancaster team member Emma Reed said.

Much of this involves year-round efforts to spread the word about the fun in math and science, through mentoring younger "Lego League" robotics teams, presentations to elementary schools and community organizations, and - for the Lancaster team - hosting "Robot Read-Alongs" at Barnes and Noble bookstores, where they introduce robots to children as young as 2 years old. Reed mentioned one 4-year-old participant who took the controls of a small robot and within minutes "she could drive it better than I could."

"We cover everything in our community. We talk to kids, we talk to adults," Reed said.

"From an engineering perspective … there just aren't many people pursuing math and science," Weisenseel said. "These are the kinds of pipelines we are trying to build and keep them in the local area. This kind of dedication is really bringing math and science to the forefront."

agatlin@avpress.com