Hunter College High School students, teachers, parents, and friends gathered at Alliance Bernstein on December 9 to celebrate the opening of the school’s robotics lab at the financial firm’s Hudson Yards offices.
The company donated the space for the well-appointed, 700-square-foot lab, which was furnished with equipment purchased through Hunter College High School Alumnae/i Association grants, student fundraising, and other donations.
The FIRST Robotics Competition is a contest of school teams from all over the country to see which can build the most successful robot for various tasks. Alliance Bernstein has sponsored HCHS’s FIRST Robotics Competition team, the Rohawks, for 15 years, and had maintained a robotics lab for the team at its former Midtown offices.
The Rohawks lead mentor, Alliance Bernstein Senior Vice President of Technology Adam Salem, said that he loves inspiring HCHS students and sees his mentorship as an investment in the future of engineering.
“We try to give them a little taste of everything we do: physics, engineering, machining, programming, electronics,” Salem said.
AB Mentor Adam Salem helps the RoHawk team members build a prototype of a claw to grab the game piece.
That has added up to students accomplishing some incredible things.
"Our alumni are building the next generation of computer chips, atomic super colliders, and automated submersible robots while writing books about STEM education, and working on the world’s first general artificial intelligence,” he said.
Salem thanked COO Karl Sprules and CEO Seth Bernstein for demonstrating their commitment to STEM education in New York City by funding the new lab, as did Hunter Campus Schools Director Lisa Siegmann, who said that corporate sponsorship is essential for schools to participate in such rigorous competitions.
“These vital STEM experiences exist only because of the vision, commitment, and generosity of our corporate mentor and sponsor,” she said. “AB provides mentorship, technical expertise to our students, and financial support to make this complex co-curricular activity possible.”
RoHawk team members guided groups from the reception to see the new robotics lab.
“The new AB lab is honestly a game changer for our team,” said senior Maia Wilson, co-captain of the HCHS RoHawks team. “With the extra space and equipment, we will be able to collaborate on building and testing our robots at a new scale.”
Hunter High Math teacher and robotics team adviser Miriam Ong Ante said the mentors offer an incredible opportunity for Hunter students.
"Students see their working minds come to life with something they can build with their own hands,” Ong Ante said. “We are grateful for such a gift.”
Last year, the school founded a team for younger students, the RoHawklings. The school’s Parent-Teacher Association pays for the teams’ competition and travel fees.
