The Lancer Robotics team took 3rd place and claimed the “Industrial Safety Award” at the 2015 Hawaii Regional competition, hosted by FIRST, whose mission is “to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders.”

With the theme “Recycle Rush,” teams had to stack totes and dispose of debris using their school-made robots.

Sophomore Adrianne Del Rosario, a first-year member of robotics, recalls that being a participant helped her to develop leadership skills.

“It was hard to handle people being dependent on me,” Del Rosario said. “Although I was nervous, I learned that collaborating with the team was a key aspect for success.”

Upon winning the “Industrial Safety Award,” team captain senior Jessica Alyssa Manuel felt a sense of accomplishment.

“The judges were very impressed at how sustainable our safety program has been,” said Manuel. “They even advised other robotics teams to visit our lab because they believe that our program is very strong.”

The 2015 Hawaii Regional was held on Mar. 25 – 28 at the Stan Sheriff Center at UH and hosted robotics teams from the U.S., Taiwan and Canada.

Robotics teacher Peter Park looks forward to next year’s competition.

“This year’s team was very close-knit and worked well together,” Park said. “I am very excited to see how members of the team will apply the lessons and skills they acquired this year to the next robotics competition.”