Engineering Partnership Provides Azusa STEM Students Hands-On Training, $160,000 in Scholarships

Animated Azusa Unified high school students displayed their developing engineering skills, maneuvering their remote-controlled robots through a maze of pegs and cubes in the final exercise of a mentoring program with aerospace and defense technology firm Northrop Grumman.
The May 19 robotics competition was the culmination of Northrop Grumman’s 2015 High School Involvement Partnership (HIP), which provided $20,000 scholarships to eight AUSD students who have maintained a minimum 3.0 grade point average and have committed to careers in physics, math, computer science or engineering.
Seniors Jeff Baez, Keith Pacana, Mark Casteneda and Santiago Kirchfeld from Gladstone High and Seniors Yescenia Alvarez, Natalie Lydick, Jonathan Raygoza and Tiffany Trinadad from Azusa High received scholarships. Also participating in the robotics competition were juniors Xavier Manzano of Gladstone and Wendy Bello of Azusa High; and sophomores Steve Lopez of Gladstone and Stephanie Gonzales and Mercedes Gonzalez of Azusa High.
The program deepens STEM curriculum at the high schools, including at Azusa High, which this year introduced a dedicated engineering pathway complete with an engineering lab and 3D printer.
“We are deeply committed to providing our students with a rigorous, hands-on learning experience that allows them the opportunity to excel in higher education and careers,” AUSD Superintendent Linda Kaminski said. “We are grateful to our partners at Northrop Grumman for opening their campus to our students to confer with their engineering mentors and to brainstorm with their peers.”
Northrop established the HIP program to inspire students to commit to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields when they pursue higher education. The STEM students spent the year building, programming and trouble-shooting their robots in preparation for the year-end event, in coordination with mentors provided by Northrop’s engineering department.
“It’s very rewarding to bring engineering technology to students and teach them the skills they will need to succeed in school and career,” Northrop fellow engineer and lead mentor Bill Gaines said. “The idea is to have fun and be happy with what you do, meet new people and work together.”
Working together, the AUSD students developed more than just basic science expertise.
“Learning the skills to collaborate, to communicate and to think critically - these skills transfer to any walk of life,” Azusa High principal Ramiro Rubalcaba said. “Not only are the students acquiring great knowledge, they have the confidence to work together to solve problems.”
Solving problems in real time is a primary objective of the HIP program. Controlling a robot looks simple, but trouble can crop up instantly. A robot can seize up, lose a gear or fall over. Each obstacle provided students with an opportunity to utilize their newly-acquired acumen to set the robot back on its course.
The blending of students from Azusa and Gladstone high school added a social element to HIP that greatly resonated with Azusa High senior Natalie Lydick.
“I love engineering and I love making robots,” said Lydick, who will study physics at UC San Diego in the fall. “Most of all I love communicating with my new friends at Gladstone High. This has been an amazing experience.”
VEX Robotics provides the kits and software used by the students and each year introduces another game to play as part of its international STEM education program. This year’s game was Skyrise, in which two competing teams built two robots apiece, then worked against the clock directing the robots to stack blue and red pegs and yellow cubes, one on top of the other.
The winning team will be revealed at the HIP awards dinner to be held on May 26. For the graduating seniors, they have already received their big prize in the form of Northrop scholarships.
“Hard work and determination are values we instill in our students every single day,” AUSD Board President Yolanda Rodriguez-Pena said. “We congratulate our graduating seniors and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.”
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
AHSTEAM: Azusa High STEM students who participated in the May 19 Northrop Grumman robotics competition pictured with Principal Ramiro Rubalcaba. GHSTEAM: Gladstone High STEM students are pictured with Principal Scott Magnusson.