Filming on "Spare Parts," wrapped up in New Mexico late last year. Without AC, the trailer turns into a double-wide oven in the desert heat. Just getting them to the Santa Barbara contest in June with a robot would be an accomplishment, Cameron thought. ", Lorenzo threw his arms into the air, looked at Ledge, and silently mouthed the word "Hooters.". The Center for American Progress and the Partnership for a New American Economy has found that giving legal status to Dreamers will add $329 billion to our economy and . That's a lot of sheet-rocking. He also said numbers sometimes appeared out of order to him. They inspired those behind them to see that possibilities could exist. They can't afford it. Maybe she thought he was trying to sell magazines or candy bars, but he steeled himself. Oscar began by explaining that his high school team was taking on college students from around the US. He didn't want to walk around the streets. Now he was ready to build something of his own. Lorenzo Santillan: Well, it's going to be on Friday in the AMC center downtown at 7:30, and we're excited because well, it's Arizona and it's where we originated from. They hope to see all four kids go to college before they quit teaching, which means they're likely to keep working for a long time. What was that like? "If I had to do everything in the same way again," Vazquez said, "I would do it. To move smoothly, two drivers had to coordinate their commands. But that project never got underway. Jos Crdenas: With us tonight to talk about the Carl Hayden robotics documentary "Underwater Dreams" are one of the coaches Fredi Lajvardi, and two of the team members Cristian Arcega and Lorenzo Santillan. Across campus, in a second-floor windowless room, four students huddle around an odd, 3-foot-tall frame constructed of PVC pipe. This ragtag group from Carl Hayden Community High School in West Phoenix constructed the robot out of cheap plastic tubing and garbage. Editor's Notes:1. Santillan received deferred action in 2012. The whole really is greater than the sum of its parts; the four boys on this team attain successamazing success, at thatonly because they work, think, and achieve together, always pooling their resources. Their story is the basis of the new documentary Underwater Dreams., From left, Cristian Arcega, teacher Fredi Lajvardi, in back, filmmaker Mary Mazzio, in foreground, Dulce Matuz, film narrator and actor Michael Pea, Luis Aranda and Lorenzo Santillan. He could see himself having to quit school to work in those fields. Fredi Lajvardi: Well, this movie, which is called "Spare Parts," is being produced by Lions Gate and Pantelion. The school continues to compete successfully on the national level in robotics competitions, inspiring other Carl Hayden students to excel, like Dulce Matuz, named one of the world's most influential people by Time Magazine. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. dennis malloy wikipedia; 335th infantry regiment, 84th infantry division; chris bey net worth He went over the specifications of the device and then paused. "I'm not hustling for a new job or promotion. Why should they keep doing it? The results counted for more than half of the total possible points in the contest. And as I understand, there's going to be a shortened version that's going to be shown on television. They had practiced dozen of times at the scuba pool in Phoenix, and it had taken them, on average, 10 minutes to stab the proboscis into the narrow tube. But it has not resulted in a flood of sponsors offering money and equipment. The whir of Stinky's propellers brought him back to the task at hand, extracting a water sample from a submerged container. "Success takes different forms. The Mining Industry's Next Frontier Is Deep, Deep Under the Sea. "You can't think success is just one sort of result," he said. The Mystery Vehicle at the Heart of Teslas New Master Plan, All the Settings You Should Change on Your New Samsung Phone, This Hacker Tool Can Pinpoint a DJI Drone Operator's Location, Amazons HQ2 Aimed to Show Tech Can Boost Cities. Lorenzo Santillan, 16, sat in the front seat of the school van and looked out at the migrant farmworkers in the fields along Interstate 10. "Dios mo," Oscar whispered, not fully believing what he saw. He and Ledge had to gather a group of students who, in four months, could raise money, build a robot, and learn how to pilot it. There certainly isn't a lot of pride on the outside. Maybe, he thought, engineering could offer him a future. But PVC had benefits. Meet the Superusers Behind IMDb, Everyones Favorite Movie Site. Really the only thing that determines whether or not you can be successful is yourself. Following the publication of this story in 2005, WIRED readers contributed more than $90,000 in scholarships for Vazquez, Arcega, Aranda, and Santillan. We've actually talked about this wonderful story a number of times over the last 10 years. Precluded from joining the military by his immigration status, he returned to Mexico, where he worked in the fields for $3 a day. "Congratulations, guys," Cameron said. Opening Friday at AMC Arizona Center 24, 565 N. 3rd St., Phoenix. Fredi Lajvardi: Yeah, I mean, talent can be found anywhere. Thanks Structural Concepts for Even if they did poorly on the interview, they were now positive that they hadn't placed last. Whether they are documented or not, its a waste of human capital to educate these kids and prevent them from contributing to society, she said at a screening of the film in New York City. This story was originally published in April 2005. He developed million-dollar autonomous underwater robots for the SEALs at the Office of Naval Research. Ever since his younger sister demanded her own room four years ago, Cristian Arcega had been living in a 30-square-foot plywood shed attached to the side of his parents' trailer. SPARE PARTS is a movie that's based on the real life adventure of four undocumented Mexican-American teenagers from Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix who start a robotics club. then realized that they had achieved their goal: girls were now actively involved . >> Make a difference in my community. >> They broke the mold and said catch me if you can. Jos Crdenas: And this week in Phoenix on Friday. The Carl Hayden Robotics Team (the subject of the movie) has several T100 thrusters, that they plan to use on the new Autonomous Underwater Vehicle that they are building for the . This was the second call Szwankowski had received from amateur roboticists in less than a month. "I tried my best not to let (my legal status) stop me from doing anything," he said. Once we figure out how to drive it, we'll be the fastest team there.". Paranoid conspiracies. Approximately 60,000 undocumented students graduate from US high schools every year. Vazquez did two tours of duty in Afghanistan and now works for a railroad company. The side effect was that no one had a good sense of how the other teams were doing. "Anger management class will begin in five minutes," says the voice from the administration building. He had grown up rebuilding car engines with his brother and cousin. Lajvardi still teaches at Carl Hayden. It was like whoa, we did just did that. Lorenzo thought. The team represents what can be done to improve student's success in the area of STEM education in an inner-city school from a large metropolitan city. >> Prosthetics for kids. "You officially don't suck.". Incredible future ahead of them and they can't advance because of legislation like Prop 300, which says you can't get in-state tuition or provide state financial aid. Vazquez said he hopes audiences will see a hopeful message in Underwater Dreams. It is mostly a story of perseverance, of not letting obstacles keep you from pursuing your dreams," he said. And also Monday, it will be broadcast by Mun2. Arcega and Santillan, from the 2004 champion team, were on those teams as well, along with a rotating band of students. Before they could sit down again, Merrill told them that they had won the technical writing award. carl hayden robotics team where are they now. They began by sending Luis to Home Depot to buy PVC pipe. They were born in Mexico but raised in. She has always been interested in marine biology. He eyed their rudimentary flip chart. Aranda is a janitorial supervisor at the Maricopa County courthouses. What is that? Both times, it beat MIT. There's the novelty of being in a movie or having your life portrayed that way. Swean growled. Fredi Lajvardi: On Friday. It was the end of June. He wanted to soak up the water with tampons but didn't know which ones to buy. >> Knowing you can't do something just because you're lacking a piece of paper is kind of devastating. When Oscar gets home from work that night, he watches the gypsum dust swirl down the sink drain when he washes his hands. NEW YORK, NY -- It's the stuff of movies - four undocumented Mexican-American high school students enter a NASA-sponsored robotics contest and beat MIT and other prestigious universities. On West Roosevelt Avenue, security guards, two squad cars, and a handful of cops watch teenagers file into the local high school. >> I want to solve the energy crisis. I was really surprised by how tough they were about it. Lajvardi, who was part of the MIT visit, said there was an uncomfortable feeling in the room when the teams compared jobs over the past decade. Lajvardi leans over to his students and whispers to them not to shout "Hooters.". A senior, he'd been in ROTC since ninth grade and was planning on a career in the military. He was the tether man, responsible for the pickup and release of what would be a 100-pound robot. Privately, each of them was hoping for third. Rocket-obsessed oligarchs. The documentary took nine years to get going, but it's gotten going now and premiered in New York City is that right? That's why he decided to come to Cameron's meeting. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images) he asked. Things got worse when Luis lowered Stinky into the water. The documentary "Underwater Dreams" is out now; a movie starring George Lopez comes out in January. Turns his back on a gang to join the robotics team, feeling a sense of true belonging for the first time in his life Learns the importance of creativity by watching his cousins repair cars in the drivewaytheir impromptu auto shop Nicknames the team's underwater ROV "Stinky" Luis "We got people believing in us, so now we got to believe in ourselves.". In the lobby outside the review room, Cameron and Ledge waited anxiously for the kids. "How'd you make the laser range finder work?" An image from television flashed through Lorenzo's mind. I'm in the payoff stage now.". Aranda said he was never tested for a dyslexia or other learning disabilities. The district sent out a press release about the victory. Because Stinky's copper pipe was 18 inches long, it was able to reach the drum. He enjoys walking into the half-built homes and analyzing the engineering. Only MIT and Cape Fear Community College from North Carolina had done better. Oscar said, pushing his control too far forward. They have equipped it with propellers, cameras, lights, a laser, depth detectors, pumps, an underwater microphone, and an articulated pincer. >> Who are these punks from nowhere that had no business doing what they do? Szwankowski was impressed. He needs to get all the opportunity he deserves., Prop 300 is an Arizona ballot measure that prevents undocumented students from getting in-state tuition or financial aid. There's the excitement. Many Americans carry around old stereotypes about people who we see as different, about people from low-income neighborhoods, and so on. Broken bones. The latest on tech, science, and more: Get our newsletters! He started taking classes in mechanical engineering and design at Maricopa Skill Center and Gateway Community College. The class photos beside the principal's office tell the story of the past four decades. And they win it all. He wasn't used to approaching women, let alone well-dressed white women. "Here you have kids that can compete and that clearly are innovative, that love to build and to fuel the country forward We need these kids, and they face these impediments.". They step up without the kind of PowerPoint slides other teams have. Four teenaged boys from Phoenix, Arizona, decided to build an underwater robot. He looked at each team member pointedly. The largest corporation in the US had kicked in $5,000. The first thing they did was smash the robot into a wall. They powered it up. "Reading doesn't come easy for me.". These kids are incredible people, said Underwater Dreams filmmaker Mary Mazzio, who first learned of the story from an article in Wired Magazine. . And they're not alone. So we had to put that in the contract that she would be able to still be able to make the documentary and everything worked out right. But Aranda now says he had residency papers by the time of the 2004 competition. Contact [emailprotected]. Next, he saw a young woman in jeans shopping for shampoo. But it received little response. Just for the hell of it. Since the teenagers are undocumented, they don't qualify for federal loans. Lorenzo flipped the power switch. And thanks for coming back on the show. Once we figure out how to drive it, we'll be the fastest team in the pool.. Filmmaker Mary Mazzio hopes her film will challenge audiences to rethink their preconceptions. >> Be a computer engineer. Vazquez met Chelsea Clinton before a screening at a Clinton Global Initiative event in Colorado. He imagined that the puddles were oceans and that the underwater robot he was building at school can explore them. >> MacGyver would be proud. What does this mean? By 2 in the morning, Oscar's eyesight was blurring, but he kept at it. It was up to Oscar and Cristian. He asked about motor speed, and Lorenzo sketched out their combination of controllers and spike relays. Many were Hispanic immigrants, some undocumented and living in the shadows. As President of the Arizona Dream Act Coalition she is working towards immigration policy reform in the state and country. >> We're telling it to go forward, the robot's going sideways and I'm thinking - Jos Crdenas: So as I understand it, Cristian and you Lorenzo were sophomores at the time. What was it like going through the movie making process? Brain injuries. Oscar Vazquez was a born leader. Through the process of building a catapult and then a robot which they present at the 2004 MATE underwater robotics competition, the Carl Hayden team learns that through the power of. He thinks it'll keep him sharp until he can save up enough money to study engineering at Arizona State University. So he ate lunch in the storage room the teachers had commandeered for the underwater ROV club. Now They're Competing on a World Stage. They could send enough power to Stinky's small engines to pull Luis around the pool. Jos Crdenas: And Fredi, we're almost out of time, but I understand that there have been other successes you've produced valedictorians and other people have gone on to be very significant in their careers and so congratulations to you, congratulations to all of you. Oscar tapped the control forward while Cristian gave a short backward blast on the vertical propellers. It was the type of machine only an engineer would describe as beautiful. He had seen it for the first time several months earlier on a school trip to San Diego. Call (602)-764-3000 for assistance with any questions, comments or concerns. "I'm not too concerned with them calling me illegal or not," he said. Three are involved in underwater robotics, with one headed to a project in Antarctica. All that was left was the grand prize. A documentary about the team and its legacy at the school, "Underwater Dreams," is running at a Phoenix theater and a truncated version airs on MSNBC and Telemundo on Sunday. Although she lives in the heart of the desert she has always loved and wanted to study the ocean and its inhabitants. Companies are diving to the bottom to scoop up metals essential for our EV-driven future. The teacher and advisor for the robotics club at Carl Hayden. Eye trauma. It's about four undocumented immigrants from Carl Hayden High School who beat out MIT and other universities in an underw. He could hear it hit the roof and slide toward the puddles on the street outside. "You're very comfortable with the metric system," Swean observed. Santillan said he and his robotics team were not the only high school students in that situation. Winning the competition was a triumph for the students, whose faculty advisor had entered the competition not knowing it was a college-level contest. Luis stood at the pool's edge, paying out the tether cable. The former high school students along with their teacher are featured in Mary Mazzios documentary Underwater Dreams., Underwater Dreams Documentary Lorenzo Santillana, According to a 2005 report by the Pew Center, helped form the Arizona Dream Act Coalition. When they reached the submarine, they saw the drum and tried to steady the robot. But the teams are also judged on their technical knowledge, and the Carl Hayden students, each of whom learned English second, shine in the technical presentation. Together with his fellow science teacher Fredi Lajvardi, Cameron had put up flyers around the school a few months earlier, offering to sponsor anyone interested in competing in the third annual Marine Advanced Technology Education Center's Remotely Operated Vehicle Competition. But Aranda was different from the rest of the group in another way. Jos Crdenas: Tell us about that. Carl Hayden High School, he said, was that special team. He passed an elderly lady examining eggplanthe was too embarrassed to ask her. In December 2014, WIRED contributing editor Joshua Davis published a book, Spare Parts, updating the kids story. Now the school is 92 percent Hispanic. These Girls Have Built Robots Since They Were Toddlers. The course is so difficult, nobody's robot can complete every task successfully. Although it might not translate into a higher salary or prestigious job, he credits those four with the legacy. Every inch of PVC had a clear purpose. Carl Hayden High School's victory in a robotic competition over colleges has inspired two films. The MIT students shifted in their seats and stretched their legs. I'm really excited about it and I hope a lot of people can show up. This weekend, which will be on Sunday afternoon, you would have to check your local schedule for that, but it's going to be simultaneously broadcast in Spanish and English on Telemundo and MSNBC. And as I understand it, from talking to you earlier, this movie has been in the works for about that same period of time. It still unnerved him to see so much water. Sometimes out of necessity and sometimes as passion projects, singers, actors, musicians, athletes, artists, and politicians . "You know," he said, "I think you can beat those guys from MIT. From all of us here at "Horizonte" and Eight, I'm Jos Crdenas. I think it opened the door for all the students after them, as well. It was only through the activism of friends in Arizona that Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) heard about his case and helped him obtain an immigration waiver to serve in the military. Their robot springs a leak and the students come up with an inventive solution placing tampons in the case holding the sensitive electronics. He, his wife and two children are moving to Glendive, Montana. "Could you help me buy the most best tampons?". He earned a certification in use of the Solidworks design program. The control tent was silent. 40 surprising celebrity "where are they nows". The team beat out prestigious colleges, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology in. The Carl Hayden Falcon Robotics team made news a few years ago when their underwater robot competed in the university category and won! Cristian would have to keep dreaming about glass syntactic flotation foam; PVC pipe was the best they could afford. Cristian Arcega and Lorenzo Santilln, two of four former Phoenix, Arizona high school students whose robotic team beat MIT and other prestigious universities in a 2004 national NASA competition. A lot of the kids today on the team have participated in helping the special effects for that movie. Do you want to be deported as a landscaper, a garbage collector or an engineer? >> My idea was a tampon. The Carl Hayden teammates tried to hide their nervousness, but they were intimidated. Have a good night. Santillan, 26, went to culinary school, fulfilling a passion for cooking sparked as a child watching chefs Jamie Oliver and Jacques Pepin on public television. Jos Crdenas: It was an eye opener for you, too. Now they had 30 minutes total to complete all seven tasks on the checklist. 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Despite the donations, they were still on a tight budget. He was free to contemplate the acceleration of a raindrop as it leaves the clouds above him. Jos Crdenas: Cristian, it's gotten great reviews. The unlikely national contest winners are also the subject of an upcoming Hollywood film starring George Lopez, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Marissa Tomei. The Ralph's grocery store near the UCSB campus is done up to look like a hacienda, complete with a red tile roof, glaringly white walls, and freshly planted palms. Now we know that that's going to be unsustainable for very many people. Cristian had hacked together off-the-shelf joysticks, a motherboard, motors, and an array of onboard finger-sized video cameras, which now sent flickering images to black-and-white monitors on a folding picnic table. To see what they were up to 10 years later, click here. It's a inspiring set of people. pictures of antonia lofaso and heavy d. Menu. They'd have to resolder every wire going into the main controller in the next 12 hours. Here's what these former child actors are up to today. He started his own catering business, Dragonfly Catering, since his legal status prevented him from being an employee, but allowed him to create his own company. To dream and to fly. It turns dirt yards into mud and forms reefs of garbage in the streets. And then I want to talk about the actual events and what it was like to compete against MIT and some of the other major universities in the country. This year, he left the military and took a job as a foreman in a locomotive repair and maintenance yard at BNSF railroad. One broken wire would destroy the whole system, forcing them to withdraw from the contest. They were able to secure funding from nonfederal groups, so they could pay the three or four times in-state tuition in order to go to college and a whole slew of kids went to ASU after that and got their degrees. George Lopez movie about Carl Hayden robotics team premieres in Phoenix: Jan. 6: Cmswire.com Segway Inventor Dean Kamen: Science Isn't a Spectator Sport : Jan. 3: The team beat out prestigious colleges, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2004. ROBOTICS: Phoenix high school's 'Stinky' robot displayed at Smithsonian | Carl Hayden robotics team inspires MIT's 'dreamers "He made a pizza!" Lori said, "I mean, he used bread . One student then asks the Carl Hayden team what they are up to. Lisa Bonet Now. From the control tent, Cristian, Oscar, and Lorenzo monitored Stinky's descent on their videoscreens. Cameron hadn't expected many students to be interested, particularly not a kid like Lorenzo, who was failing most of his classes and perpetually looked like he was about to fall asleep. It's a cheap but astoundingly functional underwater robot capable of recording sonar pings and retrieving objects 50 feet below the surface. The government denied his request twice. He had thought that Lorenzo's paint job was nice. They were on the verge of eviction for nonpayment of rent. It was devastating, especially since I had turned down offers from other colleges outside Arizona., Arcega would have liked to obtain a Masters Degree, and then work in research and development. But I kind of looked the other way and put more effort into it.". Aranda said he was good at writing and speech. The woman broke into a big smile and led him to feminine hygiene. A set of high-powered fans blew across the surface of the pool, obscuring the view below and forcing teams to navigate by instrumentation alone. They felt like they had a good shot at not placing last. Taking a polygraph test is always stressful, and the results are often flawed. Cristian and Lorenzo are now juniors. The teamLorenzo Santillian, Christian Arcega, Oscar Vazquez and Luis Arrandafrom Arizona's Carl Hayden Community High School had little funding and no experience in similar contests, but . While other teams machined and welded metal frames, the guys broke out the rubber glue and began assembling the PVC pipe. The other entrants almost all college students had corporate sponsors and serious budgets. There's a movie that's in the works right now and tell us about that. (Sound on tape) the 2014 carl hayden robotics team juana and yaretzi hernandez. Oscar felt aimless until he heard about the robot club from Ledge, who was teaching his senior biology seminar. Another designs accessories for Apple products. Arizona PBS is a member-supported service of Arizona State University. While these numbers may have improved since DACA was introduced in 2012, undocumented students still face financial and logistical hurdles to accessing higher education (earlier this month, a federal appeals court blocked an executive order by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer that denied drivers licenses to DACA recipients). How Americas sketchy less-lethal weapons industry exports its insidious brand of violence around the world. He stood behind a podium on the temporary stage and glanced down at his notes. Since the competition required that their bot run through a series of seven exploration tasksfrom taking depth measurements to locating and retrieving acoustic pingersmobility was key. I think they hit the jackpot when they realized having beaten MIT in a very competitive competition. His mother had been fired from her job as a hotel maid, and his father had trouble paying the rent as a gardener. The story has been a feel-good one since it happened a decade ago: A ragtag team of high school kids from a poor part of west Phoenix beats out students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a robotics competition. Cameron was the computer science teacher sponsoring Carl Hayden's robotics program. Need help accessing? All that was left was the grand prize. In fact, it was the complete opposite. His first creation is a new type of power supply. Team 842: Falcon Robotics Falcon Robotics Team 842 from the heart of Phoenix, Arizona won the Chairman's Award at the 2008 FIRST Championship. The pool was concealed under a black tarpthe contest organizers didn't want the students to get a peek at the layout of the mission.