SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - At St Francis High School, they are known as The Fembots. These tech-savvy teenagers became school heroes when the robot they designed won them a trip to compete on a world stage in Tennessee.  Sponsored by the Marine Advanced Technology Education organization, this August robo-clash will challenge young scientists to help solve man-made oceanic problems.

Renamed Team Geneseas for tournaments, the St Francis girls last month topped eight school teams at regional level in Monterey. This qualified them for the robotic equivalent of the Olympics.

The team is part of an 18-student St Francis effort that engages students from junior to senior levels. Fielding a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) that gathers trash at sea, the Fembots beat out seven teams in their division.  This week they will pack their 24-pound gadget to travel. Destination is East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee.

“They were surprised and excited by their Monterey win,” notes adult coach Kitara Crain. “They went into the contest nervous, but I noticed a new confidence after they won. They came home and immediately began working to improve their design.” Crain works for the Intel Corporation in Folsom. Fellow team mentor is retired Intel technician Maurice Velandria. Both coaches oversaw the young engineers as they crafted the robot they call Enhydra. They used easy-to- acquire components -- PVC piping; sliced pool noodles; plastic bottles.  They also designed a metal frame to hold four underwater cameras in place. Dozens of ping pong balls simulate ocean flotsam and collection is monitored via on-land computers. Though robot Enhydra hatched in St Francis High labs, the inventors use Jesuit High School’s pool for testing. The Catholic alliance will continue in Tennessee: Jesuit’s own robotic team will compete in a separate division.

“Our biggest challenge has been the pandemic,” explains Fembot pilot Lauren Jones (17). “We had to use Zoom for what would normally be in-person activities. We couldn’t meet till March. We hadn’t much chance to be hands-on with our ROV, but we’ve got this far.”

Team captain Riley Glenn (18) feels COVID limitations necessitated better understanding of processes. “Our result was a more accurately built robot,” she says. “We’re excited to go to Tennessee and see what people in higher divisions are doing. We can all learn from that.”

Mentors Crain and Velandria will accompany the girls to the Big Bend State.  Here the St Francis reps – who hail from Carmichael, Rancho Cordova, Sacramento, Granite Bay and Folsom -- will meet similarly scientific teens from China, Singapore, Macau, Turkey and Egypt.

The annual event is geared to nurture future engineers and technicians. “Children might not feel they’re exposed to engineering,” considers mentor Crain.  “But many household jobs – anything from changing light bulbs or fixing garden sprinklers – represent problem-solving at core level. Millions of people handle simple engineering every day. Ocean pollution is a massive issue. The MATE program challenges students to approach problems in small pieces. If you have 50 teams making small fixes, then bigger-scale problems become more manageable.”

The St Francis students began their mission with scant robotic smarts. “Everyone learned as they went along,” says Crain. “They were supposed to compete last year, but COVID postponed things. After two years of preparation, all the Monterey teams were talking together, sharing fixes and ideas. They were competitors, yes. But finding solutions is always more important than being first.”  

The Monterey win solidified Fembot ambition. “They’ve pushed themselves,” reports Crain. “They had a problem with their cameras at the competition. So instead of just hoping for the best, they decided to take their whole system apart, find the issue and fix it. They’ve gone from having three cameras that worked reasonably well to having four really solid ones. The girls have upped their game. They’re willing to work harder to achieve stronger outcomes”

Crain credits St Francis students and staff for Fembot success. “This team has reinvigorated everyone’s interest in the robotics program,” she says. “The school’s provided project facilities and funding to get the deck crew and mentors to Tennessee.” 

The international contest will run from August 4 to 7. Win or lose, Cain is impressed by the young techies’ growth. “They started out as teenagers who had a little interest in engineering,” she considers. “They’ve grown into people whose capabilities can make something great happen for the world.”