Summer Break an Opportunity for STEM Development in Chuuk

A team of students and educators from Pohnpei broke from summer relaxation to share their enthusiasm for high school robotics with peers in Chuuk.

Three students and two educators from Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School (OLMCHS) travelled to Chuuk to lead a four-day robotics workshop. Over the course of the training, students from public and private high schools across Chuuk partnered with the Pohnpei team to build, operate and compete their very own robots. For Weipat High School, located in Chuuk’s Northwest Islands, this represented the school’s first hands-on interaction with the new technology.

The building workshop was sponsored by Habele, a US non-profit that designed and implemented a robotics league extending across all four states of the FSM. OLMCHS was one of the first schools in Pohnpei to join in the Robo League in 2018, and has hosted annual Robo Day competitions, in which participating high schools gather to compete for the title of Pohnpei Robo Day Champions. Chuuk Department of Education generously made the Chuuk High School gymnasium available for the week, as well as providing food and encouragement for all the participants.

Teams of all experience levels at the training began with an unassembled robotics kit, and with the help of the team from Pohnpei, worked through each of the parts and their functions. Surrounded by piles of metal and electronic components, each school team tweaked and troubleshot their way to a functioning robot. While beginning students have clear instructions to follow, experimenting and exploring with the equipment is encouraged.

“Creative problem solving is key here,” said Matt Coleman, Habele’s Director of Operations. “Students learn to analyze a challenge, and use the parts they have on hand to resolve it. It is an important skill to develop for any vocation.”

After completing their first robotics build, teams worked on controlling the robots through a variety of simple tasks. As the workshop progressed, challenges became more complex. The culmination of the training was a series of competitive events to test robotics dexterity and function for points. Prior to the final competition, students were encouraged by Dr. Margarita Cholymay, Director of Chuuk Department of Education, who praised them for learning new skills, and urged them to take advantage of the educational opportunities provided. The team from Saruman Chuuk Academy won first place in the competition, with Xavier High School coming in second, and Weipat High School taking third. All teams demonstrated tremendous growth over the course of the training. Students will return to their schools with a working robot, and enthusiasm to share what they learned with their peers.

“Peer to peer training encourages active participation and engagement among learners,” said Russell Figueras, Principal of OLMCHS, and one of the trainers for the workshop. “When students are involved in teaching their peers, they become more invested in the learning process and more likely to grasp and retain the information. This was an awesome learning experience for our students.”

The training workshop is the last Habele-sponsored robotics event in Chuuk. The US nonprofit is sunsetting its involvement in high school robotics across the FSM after over a decade, but hopes robotics education evolves further through support from FSM national and state governments.

Habele will continue to offer tuition scholarships to students attending private elementary and high schools in the FSM, donations to schools and libraries, direct monthly book deliveries to children under the age of five (“Young Island Readers”), and donations of tools to traditional carvers and weavers.

Pohnpei Robo Day 2022!

Teams of students from public and private schools across Pohnpei gathered in the Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School gymnasium to showcase their robotics achievements for “Robo Day 2022.” This annual gathering offers high school robotics clubs an opportunity to close out the school year by matching skills with peers in a friendly competition open to the public. 

For the island of Pohnpei, located  in the Federated States of Micronesia, Habele’s Pohnpei Robo League represents the premiere Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) opportunity for high school students. The Pohnpei Robo League encourages hands on experimentation with complex technology, problem solving, and teamwork, even for students who might not see themselves as “math and science” enthusiasts. Since its inception in 2018, the League has emphasized a student-driven learning process, with participants encouraged to explore and experiment with their equipment.

In the 2022 competition, students built robots to move through a set field of play, picking up objects with differing point values and depositing them in “scoring zones,” as well as maneuvering through an obstacle course. 

The winners for this year’s Robo Day are:

1st – Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School

2nd – Pohnpei Catholic High School

3rd – Pohnpei Island Central High School

4th – Calvary Christian Academy

5th – Pohnpei Seventh Day Adventist School

6th – Nanpei Memorial High School

While Robo Day draws the most public awareness to the Robo League, it represents the culmination of a year of opportunities for participating schools. Pohnpei high schools have seen integration of 3D Printing, robotics certification courses, as well as buildouts of wireless networks for distance learning during the pandemic. 

Habele, a US nonprofit enables and equips high schools in the Robo League across all four of the Federated States of Micronesia. Habele was founded by former Peace Corps volunteers who taught in Micronesia. The nonprofit first introduced robotics to Micronesia in 2011.

Support from the US Government comes through the Office of Insular Affair, which provides technical assistance funding for development projects in Micronesia.The US-FSM relationship is historically, strategically, and politically unique. Shared goals of regional openness and sustainable development are based on decades of common history and partnership.

Habele’s Robo League is building the knowledge and skills of future island leaders. These leaders will tackle complex multi-faceted challenges. At the same time, Habele is deepening the US-FSM partnership, ensuring those challenges can be faced as a team.

building the knowledge and skills of future island leaders. These leaders will tackle complex multi-faceted challenges. At the same time, Habele is deepening the US-FSM partnership, ensuring those challenges can be faced as a team.

3D Printers bring additive manufacturing to Micronesian classrooms

 

This December, high school students in Yap and Pohnpei used their own 3D printers to successfully create three dimensional models. These cutting edge, additive manufacturing machines were provided by Habele, the US non profit that also led the training.

Participating schools earned the premium 3D printers in 2020 for excellence in completing Habele’s “Robotics Certification Challenge,” a challenge requiring staff and students at high schools across Micronesia to successfully complete a robotics certification course. 3D printing provides Robo League students with even more hands on exposure to advanced technology, while giving endless opportunity for creative exploration.

The students’ first print was a reticulated, three dimensional model of a gecko lizard. This demonstrated the ability of the printers to “print in place,” or to print movable joints, without having to assemble individual parts. As the printers whirred in the background, students learned the essentials of using the machines, as well as the applications and benefits of the technology.

“The principles and coding used in these machines is directly applicable to real world manufacturing processes,” said Neil Mellen, founder of Habele. “Printers like this were used in the United States to produce parts for respirators during early days of the pandemic.”

The students also learned how 3D printing enriches their work in the Habele Robo League. In addition to printing standard replacement parts, students will be able to innovate components of their own design. Equally important, the new 3D printers will help schools reduce their dependency on imported parts for robotics, as well as other educational materials.

The Habele Robo League, which serves public and private high schools across all four Micronesian States, is funded through support from the Office of Insular Affairs. “We are proud to be part of the vibrant and empowering partnership that has characterized U.S.- Micronesian relations for so many decades,” said Mellen.

Robo Day in Yap showcases STEM Achievement in Micronesia

The dust has settled on Yap’s 9th annual Robo Day competition, an exhibition of technical skill and achievement by robotics clubs from across the remote islands of Yap State. Provisioned and supported by Habele, clubs from participating high schools enjoy hands-on robotics learning throughout the year, before gathering to show off their skills to the community in this friendly challenge.

The 2021 Yap Robo Day championship went to the team from the remote Outer Islands High School (OIHS), located on the tiny Ulithi Atoll about one hundred miles east of Yap. Despite being one of the more remote high schools on the planet, the robotics club continues to thrive in the Habele Robo League. This year’s victory represents the second championship win for OIHS in the last three years.

Second place went to the Yap High School robo club, the only public high school on the main island of Yap. Third place was awarded to Yap Catholic High School, the very first school in the Robo League.

Robotics offers Micronesian students a strong grounding in problem solving. It sparks learning by letting them experiment with ideas in real world situations, while cultivating local ownership of the state Robo Leagues.

Yap Robo Day would not happen without the time and effort of school administrators, teachers, the State Department of Education, and engaged community members. We congratulate all the competitors on a job well done, and look forward to another year of exciting learning and growth. 

We are tremendously proud of the hard-working students and educators of the Robo League all across Micronesia,” explained Habele founder, Neil Mellen. “This practical and empowering effort is just one way we can deepen the strong, stable, and sustainable partnership between the American and Micronesian Peoples.”

Pohnpei Science Fair Highlights Robotics Learning

In May, students from high schools and elementary schools across Pohnpei gathered for the 2021 Science Fair at Pohnpei Island Central School (PICS). The PICS booth showcased the achievements of the school’s Robo Club, including a full scale competition game board for visitors to try their hand at directing robots through various challenges.

In addition to opportunities for hands-on interaction with robotics, PICS displayed their state-of-the-art 3D printer, one of the few to be found in the islands. The printer will be used to fabricate custom parts for robotics builds and competitions, while growing student knowledge of a rapidly evolving technology. PICS was one of four high schools across the Federated States of Micronesia to be awarded a 3D printer, after having robotics instructors and students successfully complete a virtual robotics certification course.

PICS has been a member of the Habele Robo League since 2018, and is one of 23 participating high schools across the FSM.