[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 6176-6177]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATING THE FALCONS ROBOTICS TEAM OF CARL HAYDEN HIGH SCHOOL ON 
                            ITS ACHIEVEMENTS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. ED PASTOR

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 12, 2005

  Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to proudly draw your 
attention to the Falcons Robotics Team of Carl Hayden High School in my 
district. This talented group of students has succeeded in winning 
numerous robotics competitions, even beating the MIT team last year in 
a contest sponsored by NASA and the Office of Naval Research.
  Teachers Allan Cameron, Fredi Lajvardi and Sam Alexander, with the 
help of other Carl Hayden faculty, wanted to create a club where 
students could engage in science, engineering, and math related 
activities that were educational as well as fun. Through the club, the 
students also had opportunities to meet professionals from science-
oriented fields. The robotics team is small, made up of four students: 
Cristian Arcega, Lorenzo Santillan, Oscar Vazquez and Luis Aranda. The 
Falcons Robotics Team provides these students from low income 
neighborhoods a positive option for after school activities. One of the 
team members was failing most of his classes before joining the 
robotics club and credits the club from keeping him off of West Phoenix 
streets and avoiding trouble.
  The Falcons Robotics Team's first mission was to put together a robot 
to compete in the Marine Advanced Technology Remotely Operated Vehicle 
Competition, the underwater robotics contest sponsored by NASA and the 
Office of Naval Research. They needed a remote-controlled robot that 
could explore a sunken mock-up of a submarine. Thus, Stinky was born. 
Constructed of plastic tubing, propellers, lights, cameras, a laser, 
depth detectors, pumps, and other equipment, Stinky was capable of 
recording sonar pings and retrieving objects 50 feet under water. 
Stinky got its unflattering moniker from the foul-smelling glue that 
kept it together. The team went into the competition feeling 
intimidated, but they won the grand prize, beating out MIT and other 
college teams with slicker robots and corporate sponsors.
  Since their competition victory last year, the team has gone on to 
compete in the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and 
Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition, where it won the highest 
award, the Chairman's Award, at the Arizona Regionals in March. Dean 
Kamen, inventor and founder of FIRST, a multinational non-profit 
organization that aspires to make science, math, engineering, and 
technology cool for kids, presented the award. As Mr. Kamen explained, 
the FIRST Robotics Competition is about much more than the mechanics of 
building a robot or winning a competitive event. The FIRST mission is 
to change the way America's young people regard science and technology 
and to inspire an appreciation for the real-life rewards and career 
opportunities in these fields.
  In his remarks, Mr. Kamen echoed the sentiments of many in Arizona 
who are following the progress of this team of innovators. The impact 
from the team's victory is priceless. Participation in the Falcons 
Robotics Team, and its competition successes, has changed the students' 
appreciation of engineering and science, and their attitude towards 
education. These students are now hoping to pursue higher education and 
are inspiring other students to strive for similar goals. The team's 
accomplishments are countering stereotypes of innercity students from 
Hispanic neighborhoods, and demonstrating that innercity ``tough kids'' 
can be just as talented and capable as the best from MIT. The Falcons 
team has become the subject of articles in Wired Magazine and the 
Washington Post, primetime stories on shows such as NPR's Here and Now 
and ABC's Nightline, and Warner Brothers is even planning a movie.
  As the team now prepares to compete in the FIRST Championship ITom 
April 21 to 23 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, I wish to honor the 
Falcons Robotics Team and the students, teachers, and community of Carl 
Hayden High School. The successes of Cristian, Lorenzo, Oscar and Luis 
demonstrate the accomplishments students can achieve, given a little 
inspiration from devoted teachers. I ask my colleagues to join me today 
in congratulating the Falcons Robotics Team, and wishing

[[Page 6177]]

the students and teachers at Carl Hayden High School much continued 
success in their future endeavors.

                          ____________________