The Engineering and Robotics Club is one of the many extracurricular activities that NHS students can participate in. It is a great opportunity for students who want to follow a STEAM-based future career path, as well as those who want to build robots and have fun with others.
“I like building stuff and working my hands with robotics, but also, I like talking to the people there,” junior Daniel Huynh said.
The club focuses on two major competitions: VEX Robotics and Sun Chase. The VEX competitions take place throughout the school year, beginning in the fall and ending with the CCPS STEAM competition in February. The Sun Chase competition is an annual solar car race that takes place on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University in the spring. It gives students an opportunity to learn about solar power, electric vehicles and engineering skills as part of a race event. The club has two separate teams that compete in the race each year. When they aren’t preparing for VEX or the Sun Chase, members volunteer at CCPS Steam events in the community.
“My favorite memory was last year when we built a robot in two weeks, and it didn’t work well,” Huynh said. “Somehow we got second place.”
The club’s meetings depend on which event is coming up so they can prepare to dominate the competition. In their current meetings, they are preparing for the upcoming VEX competition. Students are building their VEX robot and learning different things in order to succeed. Students will learn a lot about the basics of robotics and go into depth about it. They also learn teamwork as they build the robot in time.
“You’ll learn whatever you are willing to understand,” senior McKnight Welzbacher said. “We’re always finding new ways to go about problems, so learning is a constant state within the club. But to actually understand means you have gone a step further. [This] is our goal in the club.”
The Engineering Club is a valuable club at NHS that integrates STEAM and robotics. It is for anyone who enjoys hands-on activities and likes working with a team. The club is an example of teamwork making the dream-work, as they make many memories and friends.
“There are honestly a lot of memories that I have that I will never forget from this club,” Welzbacher said. “I’m beyond happy that I joined the club three years ago and would change absolutely nothing about it.”
