M-A robotics team makes it to nationals M-A robotics team makes it to nationals (April 27, 2005)

For the first time in four years of building competitive robots, the robotics team of 25 students from Menlo-Atherton High School went to the national championship, held April 21 to 23 in Atlanta this year.

In Atlanta, M-A and its partners -- two schools from Michigan -- won their 85-team division and made it as far as the semi-finals.

They took first place in the Sacramento regional contest in March. At the San Jose regional later that month, the M-A team won a General Motors Industrial Design award.

In the competitions this year, the remote-controlled robots must pick up hollow pyramids and place them atop larger pyramids positioned on a space about the size of half a basketball court. Each side has three robots competing as in a timed three-on-three basketball game, said M-A team spokeswoman Karen Imatani.

Fundraising was crucial, said Ms. Imatani. The cost of the basic box of parts used by all competitors and the registration fees for three contests came to about $15,000.

M-A's sponsors this year included the Kiwanis Club of Menlo Park, Menlo Park Live Oak Lions Club, Portola Valley Garage and SRI Artificial Intelligence Center. Also helping were the Foundation for the Future, M-A High School, the PTA and the Sequoia Union High School District.

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