facebook twitter
    Home

Habele Blog


Three students from Yap State proudly represented the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) at an international high school robotics competition this July in Washington DC.

Natasha Loochaz, John Steven Gilinug, and Francis Yarofalyango, comprised Team Micronesia, and joined students from over 150 other nations at the event.

Over several months each team designed, built, and programmed, their own complex robot based on the same simple parts kit, bringing the robots to the FIRST Global Challenge in DC for the matches and exhibition. In the arena, robots were organized into teams of three, battling to quickly gather and sort plastic balls representing clean water and contaminated water.

The team from Yap featured three graduating seniors from Yap Catholic High School, who earned the privilege to compete as an all-star team based on their performance in the Habele Yap Robo League.


In the first round of competition in DC, the FSM Team joined Argentina and Kuwait in a match against Bulgaria, Japan, and Grenada. Then Micronesia, allied with Vietnam and Australia, battled Cameroon, Chile, and Sudan. The day ended with a match pitting Micronesia, Brazil and Kosovo against China, Bermuda and Bahrain. For the day, the FSM went two for three.

Early the second day Micronesia partnered with Uzbekistan and Bangladesh in a match with Uruguay, Turkmenistan and Norway. They next teamed up with Ghana and Madagascar opposite Cameroon, Zambia and a pan South American team. Their final match reunited the Micronesians with Kuwait, along side Gabon, to compete with Japan, the Czech Republic, and a pan-Asian team.


The Habele Yap Robo League began in 2011 thanks to Eagle Engineering, the robotics team from Chaminade College Preparatory, a high school in California. Ameilia Weiss, then a Chaminade student, identified the opportunity for high school robotics on Yap during a dive trip to Micronesia. Back at school, she organized donations of robotics parts and instructional materials as a Habele volunteer, getting the League up and running.

Early in 2017 the League was invited to field a team at the FIRST Global event. Over a few short months, the students scrambled to design, assemble, and program, a competition worthy robot from a kit and system very different than the Vex Robotics parts with which they had worked in the past.

Lee Webber, former president and publisher of Guam’s Pacific Daily News, sounded the call in an April column about the team’s goal to compete in DC, inviting readers across the region to donate toward the costs of provisioning, training, and sending the students.


In addition to several hundred individual donations made by US and FSM citizens through a Habele Go Fund Me webpage, generous corporate support was provided by Tim Waters & Associates, the JoDoCo Group, the Matson Foundation, College of Micronesia, Blue Sky Traders, and United Airlines.

Senators Isaac V. Figir and Joseph Urusemal of the Yap Congressional Delegation made supporting the students a high priority for the Congress of Micronesia. A pair of targeted appropriations was smartly shepherded through the complex federal legislative process to quickly ensure the Team could make it to DC.

Over the course of the FIRST Global event, Team Micronesia earned six match points and 347 competition points. Their final ranking (131st of 163 teams) put them well ahead of more resourced teams from developed nations with widespread robotics, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.


The Micronesia team, and their mentor Gilippin Pongliyab, also met with FSM officials in DC, including Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr. James A Naich as well as former Peace Corps Volunteers who served in the Islands and Micronesian citizens living in and around DC.

in addition to the high stakes competitions, Natasha, John, and Francis, participated in elaborate Olympic style opening and closing ceremonies, proudly carrying the four-stared flag of Micronesia. They also networked at  workshops, forums, and team building activities with student teams from around the globe.

"The experience was a great one," said Francis Yarofalyango, known to his Team Micronesia peers as “Cisco.” "Participating in the competition was inspiring, especially seeing so many young people pursuing the same goals as I am. Robotics is not only fun but it helps me connect to other people around the world."###


Share
August 01, 2017 No comments
Newer Posts
Older Posts

Search This Blog

Popular

  • Ulithian-English Dictionary Published by Habele
    Ulithian-English Dictionary Published by Habele
    The picturesque Atoll of Ulithi , located in the Central Pacific, is home to 700 islanders. These Micronesians live on a chain of coral is...
  • Ulithian Dictionary for Remote Islanders in Yap State, Micronesia
    Ulithian Dictionary for Remote Islanders in Yap State, Micronesia
    Helene Hofman recently interviewed Neil Mellen of the Habele Outer Island Education Fund on Radio Australia. The topic was Habele's new...
  • Thanks from Woleai
    Habele has received a kind letter of thanks from Vocational Education Teachers on the Atoll of Woleai (also spelled Wooleai ). The Fund mail...
  • Interior Announces Funds to Extend Yap Robotics League Program to Pohnpei, Chuuk
    Interior Announces Funds to Extend Yap Robotics League Program to Pohnpei, Chuuk
    Interior Announces Funds to Extend Yap Robotics League Program to Pohnpei, Chuuk and Lauds Strength in Partnerships R...
  • High Tech Robots in Remote Micronesian Islands
    High Tech Robots in Remote Micronesian Islands
    Student achievement and the US-Micronesian partnership were on display this week in Yap, as five high schools battled it out in an eliminati...

Labels

Adze Amata Coleman Radewagen Arts and Crafts Aumua Amata Barbara Wavell books Canoe Canoe carving Caroline Islands Chaminade China Chuuk Climate Change COFA Compact Impact Compact of Free Association Culture David Hamon Department of the Interior donation donations Doug Domenech Eagle Engineering eauripik Elato Euripik Extracurricular fais Faith Christian Academy Fans Faraulep FAS federai federated states of micronesia Festival of Pacific Arts 2016 FGC2017 FIRST Global Freely Associated States fsm Guam Habele Habele Outer Island Education Fund Habele Robo League Humanitarian Ifalik Intern Internship Joe Wilson Kolonia Lamotrek Language Larry Raigetal LEAD Libraries literacy Madolenihmw Marshall Islands Marshalls Matson Maysak Micronesia Micronesian Moving Past Maysak navigation News Office of Insular Affairs OIA Outer Islands Outer Islands High School outrigger canoe Pacific Arts Palau Peace Corps Piik pohnpei Power Hawks Proa Public Schools reading Relief Relief Effort Reports Republic of Palau Republic of the Marshall Islands robotics Robots sail sailing Satawal Satowan Scholarships school supplies Second Island Chain Sports Sports Council Star-Advertiser STEM Summer temwen Tomil traditional canoe traditional navigation traditional sailing Typhoon Ulithi VEX Robotics Waa'gey waagey weaving Woleai Woven Fans Yap Yap Catholic High School Yap Games Yap High School Yap Outer Islands Yap Robo League Yap SDA Yap SDA School yap state

Blog Archive

  • ►  2018 (5)
    • ►  June (1)
    • ►  May (2)
    • ►  March (2)
  • ▼  2017 (14)
    • ►  December (1)
    • ►  November (3)
    • ►  September (1)
    • ▼  August (1)
      • Micronesia Students Proudly Compete in Robotics "O...
    • ►  July (1)
    • ►  May (2)
    • ►  April (2)
    • ►  March (2)
    • ►  January (1)
  • ►  2016 (23)
    • ►  November (3)
    • ►  October (2)
    • ►  August (4)
    • ►  July (2)
    • ►  June (6)
    • ►  May (2)
    • ►  April (3)
    • ►  February (1)
  • ►  2015 (23)
    • ►  December (1)
    • ►  November (2)
    • ►  August (1)
    • ►  July (2)
    • ►  June (1)
    • ►  May (3)
    • ►  April (11)
    • ►  February (2)
  • ►  2014 (7)
    • ►  November (2)
    • ►  October (1)
    • ►  August (1)
    • ►  June (2)
    • ►  January (1)
  • ►  2013 (30)
    • ►  December (1)
    • ►  October (2)
    • ►  September (4)
    • ►  August (1)
    • ►  July (5)
    • ►  May (6)
    • ►  April (2)
    • ►  March (2)
    • ►  February (4)
    • ►  January (3)
  • ►  2012 (30)
    • ►  December (5)
    • ►  November (4)
    • ►  September (1)
    • ►  August (2)
    • ►  July (1)
    • ►  June (3)
    • ►  May (4)
    • ►  April (5)
    • ►  March (1)
    • ►  February (3)
    • ►  January (1)
  • ►  2011 (12)
    • ►  December (1)
    • ►  November (1)
    • ►  October (1)
    • ►  September (2)
    • ►  August (1)
    • ►  July (2)
    • ►  June (1)
    • ►  March (1)
    • ►  February (1)
    • ►  January (1)
  • ►  2010 (16)
    • ►  December (1)
    • ►  October (1)
    • ►  September (1)
    • ►  August (1)
    • ►  July (1)
    • ►  June (3)
    • ►  May (2)
    • ►  April (1)
    • ►  March (1)
    • ►  February (1)
    • ►  January (3)
  • ►  2009 (29)
    • ►  December (3)
    • ►  November (5)
    • ►  October (4)
    • ►  September (3)
    • ►  August (5)
    • ►  July (1)
    • ►  May (1)
    • ►  April (2)
    • ►  March (1)
    • ►  February (2)
    • ►  January (2)
  • ►  2008 (22)
    • ►  November (1)
    • ►  October (1)
    • ►  September (2)
    • ►  July (1)
    • ►  June (2)
    • ►  May (3)
    • ►  April (1)
    • ►  March (4)
    • ►  February (3)
    • ►  January (4)
  • ►  2007 (47)
    • ►  December (3)
    • ►  November (1)
    • ►  October (4)
    • ►  September (4)
    • ►  August (2)
    • ►  July (2)
    • ►  June (6)
    • ►  May (4)
    • ►  April (4)
    • ►  March (8)
    • ►  February (4)
    • ►  January (5)
  • ►  2006 (42)
    • ►  December (5)
    • ►  November (6)
    • ►  October (5)
    • ►  September (4)
    • ►  August (3)
    • ►  July (6)
    • ►  June (6)
    • ►  May (7)
Powered by Blogger.

Categories

Created with by ThemeXpose