Si Se Puede Foundation, Degrees of Freedom

Si Se Puede Foundation: Focus on the foundation and their goal to help low income children achieve academic success and their STEM programs. They will talk about Degrees of Freedom high school girls robotics group. The Degrees of Freedom team won the Rookie All Star Award at this past weekend FIRST Arizona Regional Robotics competition.

Transcript:

JOSE: THE SI SE PUEDE FOUNDATION PROVIDES PROGRAMS TO STRENGTHEN CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES. ONE OF THE THINGS THE FOUNDATION IS KNOWN FOR IS ITS EMPHASIS ON "STEM" SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH PROGRAMS. THIS WEEKEND, THE DEGREES OF FREEDOM HIGH SCHOOL ROBOTICS TEAM WON THE ROOKIE ALL STAR AWARD IN THE GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY FIRST ROBOTICS COMPETITION. JOINING ME TO TALK ABOUT THE FOUNDATION IS ALBERTO ESPARZA, PRESIDENT AND C-E-O FOR SI SE PUEDE FOUNDATION. DOCTOR ALLAN CAMERON, LEAD MENTOR FOR DEGREES OF FREEDOM ROBOTICS TEAM. AND, CAMILA TREVINO, A MEMBER OF THE DEGREES OF FREEDOM ROBOTIC TEAM. WELCOME ALL TO "HORIZONTE." CONGRATULATIONS. WE WILL GET TO SOME OF THOSE DETAILS ABOUT THE COMPETITION. FIRST, GIVE US A QUICK RUNDOWN ON WHAT THE FOUNDATION DOES.

ALBERTO ESPARZA: IT WAS STARTED IN 1994 BY ME AND WE SERVE ABOUT 1800 KIDS IN THE EAST VALLEY. WE ARE PREDOMINANTLY AN S.T.E.M. PROGRAM. WE WERE ABLE TO SERVE 300 KIDS THIS YEAR WHO WOULD OTHERWISE NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THESE STEM PROBLEMS. IT HAS BEEN A GREAT RIDE FOR US SINCE 1998 AND WE KEEP ON EXPANDING THE PROGRAM. WE HAVE THE FIRST UNDERWATER ROBOTICS AND MECHANICAL ROBOTICS. THIS YEAR WE STARTED DOING THE UNDERWATER ROBOTICS PROGRAM.

JOSE: ROBOTICS HAS BEEN A BIG PART OF THE FOUNDATION ACTIVES. WHY ROBOTICS?

ALLAN CAMERON: BECAUSE IT WORKS AND THEY ATTRACT KIDS AND THEY LEARN MATH, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND THEY WORKING ON A COMPUTER, WITH ADULTS, COMPETING, THEY LEARN THE ETHICS AND LANGUAGE AND TURN TO LOVE ENGINEERING AND MATH. I USE THE EXAMPLE IF THEY HANG AROUND POLICEMEN AND FIREMEN THEY WANT TO GROW UP TO BE POLICEMEN AND FIREMEN AND TEACHERS BECAUSE THEY SEE THEM. NOW THEY SEE ENGINEERS AND THAT IS A FIELD THEY WANT TO EXPLORE AND GO INTO.

JOSE: CAMILA, YOU HAVE BEEN INVOLVED FOR A WHILE. WHAT GOT YOU STARTED AND HOW OLD WERE YOU?

CAMILA TREVINO: I WAS IN SIXTH GRADE AND THE NON-PROFIT I AM PART OF STARTED TALKING ABOUT ROBOTS AND ANY KID AT A YOUNG AGE IS INTERESTED IN ROBOTS AND AFTER MY FIRST DAY I WAS HOOKED AND I AM HERE SIX YEARS LATER.

JOSE: THE EFFORT YOU ARE INVOLVED WITH IS A NEW DEVELOPMENT. I WILL PUT A PICTURE ON THE SCREEN OF THE FREEDOM GROUPS YOU ARE PART OF. TELL US ABOUT WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT IT?

CAMILA TREVINO: WE ARE AN ALL-GIRLS GROUP. IN ROBOTICS THERE ARE NOT MANY FEMALES SO IT IS UNIQUE IN THE STATE OF ARIZONA AND IN THE FIRST COMPETITION THERE IS AN ALL-GIRLS ROBOTICS TEAM.

JOSE: YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN THE NAME OF THE TEAM. DEGREES OF FREEDOM.

CAMILA TREVINO: IT COMES FROM THE ENGINEERING TERMS WHICH IS THE AXIS, THE DEGREES OF FREEDOM IS AN ENGINEERING TERM WHICH IS AN AXIS THAT CAN BE XY AND Z PLANES AND THE AMOUNT OF FREEDOM AN ARM OR APPLICATION YOU PUT ON YOUR ROBOT HAS TO FUNCTION OR TO MOVE.

JOSE: I THINK MANY PEOPLE THINK ABOUT IT HAS TO DO WITH THE FACT THIS IS AN ALL-GIRLS TEAM WHICH IS UNUSUAL.

ALLAN CAMERON: MOST OF THE INDUSTRY AND ENGINEERS ARE MALE, MALE-DOMINATED. CEO'S ARE MALE PRIMARILY. THE IDEAS OF DEGREES OF FREEDOM IN OUR SOCIETY PERHAPS HAS A SOCIAL MEANING ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNG LATINO WOMEN.

JOSE: AND ALBERTO, IN THE PICTURE IT WASN'T JUST THE TEAM MEMBERS BUT THE MENTORS MOST OF WHOM ARE MEN. I GUESS IT REFLECTS WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. WE HAVE GOT A PICTURE OF THE ROBOT THAT YOU GUYS ENTERED INTO THE COMPETITION. WE WILL PUT THAT ON THE SCREEN. TELL ME ABOUT THIS ONE.

CAMILA TREVINO: THAT IS OUR ROBOT FOR THE COMPETITION. WE HAD TO DO A SERIES OF MISSIONS. ONE OF THEM BEING A ROBOT HAD TO BE ABLE TO PICK UP GEARS FROM EITHER THE GROUND OR FROM A DIRECT SHOOT AND PLACE THEM ON THE PEG SO A HUMAN PLAYER CAN PLACE THEM ON A GEAR SYSTEM AND TURN ON A TURBINE. IT ALSO HAS GEARS IN THE BACK AND YOU CAN SEE IT HAS DIFFERENT SKILLS OF SCALING A THREE FOOT ROPE, TOUCH A PAD AND HANG SUSPENDED IN THE AIR FOR A SECOND OR TWO.

JOSE: IT WAS IMPRESSIVE ENOUGH ALONG WITH LOT OF OTHER CHARACTERISTICS TO WIN THE AWARD. WE HAVE THE TEAM PICTURED HERE.

ALLAN CAMERON: WE ARE VERY PROUD OF THE TEAM. ALTHOUGH THE ROBOT PLAYS A PART OF THAT IT IS WHAT THE GIRLS HAVE BEEN DOING IN THE COMMUNITY. THEY HAVE BEEN MENTORING YOUNGER KIDS IN LEGO ROBOTICS, THEY HAVE BEEN GOING TO SENIOR CITIZEN PLACES AND HELP THE GRANDPAS AND GRANDMAS. ENGINEERING IS A COOL ACTIVITY AND THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE IT LOUD TO ATTRACT MORE BOYS AND GIRLS INTO CONSIDERING THE S.T.E.M. FIELDS WHICH WE DESPERATELY NEED.

JOSE: AND SPEAKING OF ATTRACTING MORE BOYS AND GIRLS, ONE OF THE TOUCHING ASPECTS OF THIS LAST COMPETITION WAS THE PARTICIPATION OF A YOUNG BOY THROUGH MAKE A WISH FOUNDATION. WE HAVE A PICTURE OF HIM, I THINK, WITH YOU COMING UP. TELL US ABOUT THAT. WE WILL PUT THAT PICTURE ON THE SCREEN NOW.

ALBERTO ESPARZA: WE RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE INTEL COMMUNITY WHO RECEIVED CALL FROM THE FAMILY. THEY HAD SEEN THE ARTICLE OF DEGREES OF FREEDOM IN THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC AND CONTACTED US. THE YOUNG MAN'S DREAM WAS TO BECOME AN ENGINEER AND HE CAME TO US AND CAME TO THE PROGRAM.

JOSE: AND I UNDERSTAND HE TOOK APART THE FAMILY VACUUM AND PUT IT BACK TOGETHER.

ALBERTO ESPARZA: YEAH. WE ARE GOING TO BE HOSTING HIM AGAIN THIS WEEKEND. HE IS GOING TO GET ENGAGED IN THE FIRST LEGO LEAGUE AND UNDERWATER ROBOTICS.

JOSE: TELL US WHAT THE NEXT STEP LEVEL IS. AS I UNDERSTAND IT IS NATIONAL.

ALBERTO ESPARZA: IT IS IN HOUSTON. WE WILL BE AT NASA NEXT WEEK AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN BRING THE GOLD. I THINK WE ARE GOING DO VERY WELL AS A FIRST-YEAR TEAM.

JOSE: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.