Science and Engineering Council of Santa Barbara, Inc.

Special Events

Robotics at the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy

The June 2007 SEC luncheon meeting featured Mr. Amir Abo-Sheer and his students from the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy (DPEA). Mr. Abo-Sheer, director of DPEA, established an advanced science and engineering program that involves students in the challenges and excitement of designing, building and testing robotic systems which are put to the test at state and regional competitions each year. In March 2007, their robots competed in events organized by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and reached the semi-finals in Los Angeles and finals in San Diego. In their presentation at the SEC luncheon they explained what the DPEA program entails, designing and building the robots, student and teacher involvement, and rules, strategies and the excitement of robotics competitions.

Mr. Amir Abo-Sheer is a physics teacher at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta who established the program to give students an opportunity to develop analytical and critical thinking skills, and to provide them with exposure to engineering in an accessible yet challenging environment.

Enthusiastic student participants from the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy presented their robotic designs and gave a live demonstration of their robots' capabilities.

At a recent competition, their robots had to pick up rings and place them onto a structure with posts of varying heights.

As part of the competition and to earn points each robot had to lift another robot off the ground as was demonstrated at the luncheon with one of the designers in place of another robot.

Good luck to Mr. Abo-Sheer and the Dos Pueblos "D'Penguineers" with their robotic creations and in their future endeavors!