5th AR teams with El Paso students for robotics lesson

By Capt. Khoi D. Nguyen, 1st Battalion, 361st Engineer Regiment, 5th Armored Brigade, Division WestJanuary 29, 2013

5th AR teams with El Paso students for robotics lesson
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Staff Sgt. Jesus Zambrano, 1st Battalion, 361st Engineer Regiment, 5th Armored Brigade, Division West, explains to a group of students from Parkland High School in El Paso, Texas, how the Talon and Fastac robot systems operate during a recent field t... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
5th AR teams with El Paso students for robotics lesson
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Staff Sgt. Matthew Robinson, 1st Battalion, 361st Engineer Regiment, 5th Armored Brigade, Division West, explains to a student from Parkland High School in El Paso, Texas, how to operate a .50 caliber M2 machine gun when mounted on an M1151 Up-Armore... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
5th AR teams with El Paso students for robotics lesson
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 361st Engineer Regiment, Task Force Redhawk, 5th Armored Brigade, Division West, pose with a group of students from Parkland High School in El Paso, Texas, during a recent field trip to McGregor Range, N.M., to see Army rob... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

McGREGOR RANGE, N.M. -- As part of the Partners in Education program, 1st Battalion, 361st Engineer Regiment, Task Force Redhawk, 5th Armored Brigade, Division West, recently hosted a field trip here for a group of students from Parkland High School in El Paso, Texas.

The field trip gave students an opportunity to see how robotics are designed and operated and how the military uses robotics in daily operations. The students, who are in the Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics program at Parkland, also got to operate the Talon and Fastac robot systems themselves.

"This is a great opportunity for our students," said Ramon Rivera, Parkland High School T-STEM coordinator. "The students got a chance to get out of the classroom environment and get hands-on experience with actual robotics."

The students are building a robot for a high school competition as part of the T-STEM program, said Anaysa Arce, Parkland High School senior.

"Getting to see how an actual robot operates and how it is designed is going to help us with our own design," Arce said.

The students also learned how a .50 caliber M2 machine gun and an M1151 Up-Armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle operate.

"It is very difficult to get in and out of the HMMWV even without all the gear," said Tina Rico, Parkland High School senior. "The M2 is a lot heavier than they make it look in the movies."

The students, all high school juniors and seniors, spent three hours rotating between two robotics lanes and the HMMWV display. Task Force Redhawk provided a noncommissioned officer at each station to provide information and answer questions.

"This is not just an opportunity for the students, but it is also an opportunity for us to show them what they are capable of creating," said Staff Sgt. Jesus Zambrano, Task Force Redhawk. "These students are the future, and they will create our new Improved Outer Tactical Vests and HMMWVs."

Related Links:

Like Division West on Facebook

See Division West photos on Flickr

Visit Division West on the Web

Watch Division West on YouTube