The Iron Panthers aren’t just robot drivers. Behind the clinks of metal and the whir of gears, a tight-knit collective of skilled students designs, builds, codes — and, of course — drives competition robots. 

“My favorite part of robotics is seeing students get out of their comfort zone and try new things, including things that they didn’t really think they could do,” said Christina Wade, math teacher and coach for the Iron Panthers. 

Wade started the Burlingame robotics program ten years ago and emphasized the empowerment that robotics provides. She recounted how the robotics team has opened doors for many students and particularly for young women in STEM fields.

“Especially for the girls on my team. It’s always fun to see them get inspired and engineering things they can do at first and a lot of them go off to college and major in it. So that’s very rewarding for me,” Wade said.

To attract students and promote an inclusive environment, robotics requires no prerequisites to join.

“We don’t require any experience, so anybody can join the team and the students teach the students and mentors help them but it’s very student-led. So the learning curve is always kind of steep in the beginning, so that makes it a little bit harder for us to compete with some of the top teams,” said Wade. 

But for the students who do choose to put in the time and effort, robotics becomes much more than a club. 

“Robotics for me, is a safe place to be creative and design and build things with my hands and also a great community,” said junior and engineering lead Mattea Park. “This is one of my priorities. It can be difficult, but overall, I think just the excitement of it all helps.” 

Balancing robotics leadership responsibilities with four Advanced Placement courses, Park underscored the importance of time management.

“Being in a leadership position can be stressful,” Park said. “We only have six weeks to build a huge robot that weighs about as much as we do. So just being able to keep all the moving parts we’re working with, like programming and electrical. Just making sure everything’s getting done in a timely manner.”

Similar to Park, freshman Adrian Su, the First Tech Challenge (FTC) lead for the upcoming competition, emphasized the large workload and time commitment while balancing school.

“Robotics is a time commitment for a lot of people. It’s a lot of work, we spend 25 hours a week at minimum,” Su said.

Freshman teams recently showcased their creations in the first FTC competition on Dec. 2, which offered a trial for new Iron Panthers members and a preparation ground for larger spring competitions.

Renne Pi, a freshman on the FTC team, expressed gratitude for the welcoming robotics community that aided her in exploring her passions.

“I joined robotics because I wanted to branch out a little more to figure out an idea of what I wanted to do in the future, “ Pi said.

Sophomore electrical lead Aisling Muldowney has found her passion, running a small subteam that handles the wiring and ensures the robot receives power for code transmission.

“Building things takes a lot of trial and error, but that’s the best way to learn. Sometimes you can get really down on yourself and think it’s really hard to do. But when it actually works, it’s the most rewarding time,” Muldowney said. 

Members highlighted the effort this year’s student leadership has made to create a supportive environment. 

“I think especially our co-captains [junior Zack Weinberg and senior Angelyn Liu] do a wonderful job making sure that everyone feels supported and feel welcome to always talk about anything,” Muldowney said. 

Weinberg expressed gratitude for this position this year and enjoys being able to lead a team that has offered him so many opportunities. 

“I love robotics. It teaches me so many things in a really interactive way that I wouldn’t get to learn in a normal classroom setting. So I get to learn hard skills like CNC operation or industry standard code. But I also get to learn really useful skills like public speaking, leadership, and communication,” Weinberg said. 

Competitions hold a special place in Weinberg’s heart, offering excitement and fulfillment after the team’s collective hard work.

“We all get to hang out, bond and root for something that’s not just some sports team. It’s what we spent blood sweat and tears building and seeing it perform and do well is always really fun,” Weinberg said.