All Hands On Deck
The Robotics season kicks off every January in preparation for the First Robotics Competition (FRC) in March. Entering into our fifth year, our team, Robotics team 6962, called RobotX, has hit the ground running. With a goal of bridging the gap between engineering, design thinking, business, and leadership skills, it’s no surprise that robotics is one of, if not the, most popular after-school teams at Khan Lab School.
Team members have been very hard at work designing and building a robot to play in this year's FRC game, Charged Up. RobotX leadership members have spend at least 15 hours a week on this intense engineering project, while most of the rest of the 70 students and 24 adult mentors have spent nearly as many hours.
One of the unique differentiators for RobotX is its mixed-aged demographic. While most robotics teams are composed of high school students only, RobotX encourages students as young as eleven to participate. Our Team Captains and the majority of team leads are sophomores and juniors. Seniors, having already been on the team for as many as five seasons, serve as Student Mentors, practicing the transition between doers to guides. This gives students the opportunity to experience an even broader range of soft-skills including mentoring and teaching.
Behind-The-Scenes
Robotics is an extension of the classroom because
it's the ultimate project learning environment.
– Chi-Ray Chien (Lead Mentor)
Robot Reveal
Faculty Spotlight
Chi-Ray Chien
Head of Operations and Technology
and Lead Mentor for Robotics
Chi-Ray has been a member of the KLS team since its founding in 2014. He graduated from Stanford University with B.A. and M.S. degrees in Biomechanical Engineering and spent a few years applying his studies as General Manager for a local company, prototyping and manufacturing coronary stents. Soon, he decided to pursue his interest in system thinking, and he became an operations generalist for small-to-mid-sized organizations. In his spare time, Chi-Ray has been known to lead scouts, root for the New England Patriots, play banjo, listen to country music, wish he had a pick-up truck, and dream of seeing the U.S. on an extended RV trip with his wife, Erica, and kids, Timothy and Megan. You'd never guess he was born in Boston and raised in L.A.
Join Chi-Ray to learn more about our Robotics Program for 7th–12th graders.
This video was captured as part of our In The Lab Speaker Series, a collection of interviews with faculty, staff, and students about what makes Khan Lab School so unique. Hear directly from them about their roles at the school, their approach to teaching and learning, and have an opportunity to ask questions. Click here to access the archive of videos.
Learn More On Our Blog
Behind the Scenes with RobotX
Our students have already begun the preparations for this season's competition, and we have a feeling it will be one of our most productive years yet!
Back In the Lab with RobotX
The Khan Lab School robotics team (RobotX) runs more like a small business than an after school club. All roles are essential to the success of the team each season.
2023 Season Wrap-Up
The RobotX team members have been very hard at work designing and building a robot to play in this year's FRC Competition on March 18. Check back soon for a season wrap-up.
Progress happens quickly and is being documented weekly on social media.
Follow @khanlabschool and student-led @frcteam6962 for updates during the season!