Robotics training a first for Kosrae students

Team members of the Robotics Club at Kosrae High School. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS)

KOSRAE, Federated States of Micronesia—High school students on the tiny Micronesian island of Kosrae are teaming up with experts to get hands-on experience with technologies of the future. Equipped with the latest in competitive robotics equipment, new robotics clubs at Kosrae High School are enjoying a mix of classroom instruction and hands-on learning, exploring math and science concepts that run much of the modern world. 

For many students across the Freely Associated States—the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and Marshall Islands—access to advanced STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) instruction is extremely limited. The Habele Robo League provides a unique vehicle to Micronesian high schools looking to expand the technical preparedness of students. Kosrae recently joined the other three FSM states participating in the Robo League, thanks to Habele’s partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs. FSM Vice President Yosiwo George has been an outspoken supporter of expanding the Robo League to include students in his home state. 

Building on the momentum of this training, clubs at Kosrae High School will press forward toward the island’s first ever Kosrae Robo Day. Robo Day is the culmination of a school year of robotics exploration, in which clubs build customized robots to compete in a series of predetermined challenges during a community exhibition. Across participating FSM states, these competitions provide students a venue for robust, friendly competition, as well as giving the community the opportunity to see learning come to life. 

“The students are really diving into the challenge of making modifications and improvements, designing for the tasks at hand, making the project their own, and working very well together,” says Amelia Weiss, Habele’s director of STEM. “I just can’t wait to see what they come up with.”

The Habele Robotics League has collaborated with public and private schools across the FSM since 2012, beginning in Yap, expanding to Chuuk and Pohnpei in 2018, and finally to Kosrae in 2019. In addition to the Robotics League, Habele provides tuition scholarships for students across the FSM, and provisions public school libraries.

Established by former U.S. Peace Corps volunteers, Habele is a U.S.-based nonprofit, advancing educational access and accomplishment in Micronesian communities. (PR)