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Photo by Photo courtesy of Jack Xu

Robotic presient Janhavi Singhal (12)

The Bay Area is being taken over by STEM. In today’s modern world, STEM fields such as engineering and technology are developing rapidly with significant advances made every day. Due to it’s versatility, STEM is not only relevant in business and industry, but it is applicable to today’s teenagers as well who are exposed to the subjects. Many STEM focused activities and clubs are available to students at HHS to participate in, including the Robotics Team.

HHS’s Robotics Team, also known as Team 670, is a STEM club that focuses on the designing and engineering of robots. The team participates in multiple competitions and events throughout the school year as well as creating an original, fully functioning robot by the end of the year, member, senior Megan Choi said.  

While the Robotics Team does primarily focus on engineering and building robots, it still has something for everyone, Robotics Team’s Executive Vice President, senior Arnuv Tandon said.

 “I’d say we have so much to offer,” Tandon said. “We outreach, we have stuff in our competitions team, we have stuff in development, you can literally explore everything from art to coding to mechanical design to grant writing in the club.” 

Tandon said he first joined the team because he was interested in programming, but later realized the club went deeper than just STEM, which intrigued him even further.

“I really first joined Robotics because I was an avid programmer, so I really wanted to hone in on my programming skills,” Tandon said. “But from there, what I actually realized was that I liked our business team the most.”

Choi said she also joined the club because she was primarily interested in Math and Science, but wasn’t really sure what to expect from the team. She found that she enjoyed being a leader in the team, teaching the members skills necessary for the team and working on projects.

“I feel like robotics is really interesting because you can kind of just walk in not knowing what to expect,” Choi said. “And then if you just try everything, then you walk out with something that you’re interested in.” 

Choi was a freshman when she joined the club and is currently in charge of the team’s Electronics sub-section, one of the many sub-sections offered, she said. 

“All the sub-teams have workshops and we teach the members different skills and how to use different tools,” Choi said. “Then by the build season, which is in the second semester, we create the robot using the knowledge that members have learned throughout the year.” 

The team has two competitions throughout the year, Choi said, one in the first semester and one out of state competition. All the logistics of competitions and other events for the Robotics Team require a great deal of in-advance planning, Logistics Coach, junior Aarushi Tupt said. Tupt, along with his team, plan out the logistical aspects of competitions including transportation and food in order to make sure the events are successful, he said. 

In general, Tupt said the team’s main goal this school year is to get as many people involved in robotics as possible and to increase member engagement. 

Safety Lead, junior Laura Roblet said she is responsible for educating team members on safety procedures before they begin hands-on work for the robot. The team is aiming to create a robot that will do well in competitions, but also encouraging more students to develop an interest in STEM and to join the Robotics Team, Roblet said.

“We’re obviously hoping to teach new members, try to keep the club moving forward, retain the members that we’re already teaching and gain new ones,” Roblet said.

HHS’s Robotics Team encourages all students to join and become a member of their vibrant community, Tandon said. Meetings are held Mondays through Thursdays in the iHub from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM.

“We have so many different branches and opportunities for people,” Tandon said. “There’s really something for everyone, and our team and community are so unique.”