Clubs » Engineering and Robotics

Engineering and Robotics

 
TMLA is the only all-girls school with a Robotics Team in New York State, and one of only two all-girls teams in New York City.
 
TMLA Robotics Team 3204 has turned a fun team program into a successful competitive program. The team has been competing In US FIRST Robotics Competitions since 2010. 
 
Our Engineering Lab has all the tools we need to build a competitive robot for the competition. This includes but is not limited to: 
  • 3D printers
  • a laser wood-etcher
  • wood-working and metal-working machines
  • CNC machines.

 

This summer, our Women in Engineering Week will be held July 17–21 from 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

 

Our unique, fun, and interactive week-long program, which started in 2017, is designed to encourage young women to explore all aspects of engineering. This program opens the doors to limitless possibilities for their future. The curriculum was conceived by Jo-Ann Panzardi ’84, currently the Chair of Engineering at Cabrillo College, and taught by engineering professor Rhoxanne Morris along with teaching assistants and TMLA's engineering mentors–both alum and current students. Throughout the week, students are afforded access to the cutting-edge equipment and technology available in our Latham Engineering Laboratory. The last day of activities includes a field trip to explore collegiate-level engineering at Hofstra University and an opportunity for the students to proudly present the details of the projects they have completed together throughout the week to their parents and visitors.

 

Sign up for our Women in Engineering Week through our TMLA SUMMERFEST registration.

TMLA’s robotics team: the Steampunk Penguins; includes young women from all 4 years.  Together the students design, build, test, and program robots.  They apply real-world math and science concepts, research challenges facing today’s scientists, and learn critical thinking, team-building, and presentation skills for competitive tournaments.

March 2023
The Steampunk Penguins competed in the FIRST Robotics Competition Long Island Regional at Hofstra University. The team and their robot, Sister Jane Fritz, competed in 10 matches, going 5 and 5, ranking 27 out of 47 teams.
The robot and our team's theme were modeled after Sister Jane Fritz, CSJ, and Edith Clarke. These women both shattered glass ceilings in the electrical engineering field and are an inspiration for our team to keep up the good work!Congratulations to our robotics team for all their hard work this season!Special thanks to their alum mentors: Loriana Donovan, Tori Quan, Kathy Rutherford, and Katherine Colin-Keta, as well as moderators Mr. Kempski, Mr. Owens, and Mrs. K. Lynch. 
 
April 2022
The Steampunk Penguins, competed in the FIRST Robotics Competition for the first time since 2019 and won the Jack Kamen Imagery Award for 2022. The robot and our team’s theme were based on the 6888th Battalion that helped to sort and deliver mail quickly and efficiently to boost soldier morale during the war.
 
April 2019
On April 6th and 7th, 2019  TMLA competed in the New York City FIRST Robotics Regional Competition.  The Steampunk Penguins won the prestigious FIRST Jack Kamen Imagery Award for incorporating the theme of “Women in Space”.  This award celebrates attractiveness in engineering and outstanding visual aesthetic integration of machine and team appearance. The team referenced the recent female NASA recruits as well as “Sally Ride”, who was proudly emblazoned on their robot and team buttons.  

TMLA alumnae Tori Quan ’17, Loriana Donovan ’16, Jessica Morales ‘18,  Yesenia Morales ’17 and Tiffany Camusci ’14 were mentors who helped the students build the robot and develop the theme.