09/27/2024

The Staten Island Technical High School Robotics Team, in Staten Island, New
York,ÿ took its knowledge and skills to the baseball diamond.

The team created a robot that was capable of throwing a ceremonial first pitch
and, in early September, the members were invited to showcase and execute their
robot at a Staten Island FerryHawks minor league game. But Everton Henriques,
KD2ZZT, engineering and technology teacher, said there was a major league snag.

"Approximately 30 minutes before `showtime,' the team discovered a number of
hardware issues that occurred during transport, followed by the complete
destruction of the main servo wiring system during a subsequent test," he said.
"Cell phone calls and texts could not handle the communication chaos, and we
had to resort to our established amateur radio simplex frequency to coordinate
equipment and logistics in those final minutes. The team was spread out between
the field, stands, and merchandise table in the upper deck area. Without
radios, there likely would not have been enough time to coordinate efforts to
get the job done...but in the end, the team was able to pull it off."

You can watch the robot's first pitch on the school's Facebook page[1].

All 26 members of the robotics team hold amateur radio licenses, with 2 Extra
Class and 3 General licenses in the mix.

"Cool stuff," responded ARRL Education and Learning Manager Steve Goodgame,
K5ATA, to the robot's ceremonial first pitch.

Staten Island Technical High School is the first New York City school to
receive a grant from ARRL. Goodgame said ARRL has been working with the school
to build and equip an amateur radio station, to test and license students, and
to put science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) kits in the
classroom, thanks to a grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC).
Henriques attended the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology[2]
earlier this year. The ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology is a
donor-funded professional development program designed to help teachers elevate
their STEM programs through the use of wireless technology.


[1] https://www.facebook.com/SITechHS/videos/first-robotics-pitch/410721188699416/

[2] https://www.arrl.org/teachers-institute-on-wireless-technology


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