Rony Arriaga

College 01
Professor Forsythe
15 October 2015
RRJ: Pages 113-149
1. Chapter Summaries: Ch 20: The team likes Lorenzo but they tend to simply listen to his
ideas instead of implementing them into their robot. In an effort to do his part in the project,
Lorenzo lingers long after school is over until Fredi is the last one out of the room. Lorenzo is
often teased so he tries to change his style by wearing an earring and watch. Unfortunately, the
kids still bullied him. At one point, Lorenzo fought a kid who poked fun at his mother. The
principle, knowing that this robot competition would keep Lorenzo away from negative outside
influences, gave Lorenzo another chance to stay in school. Fredi then took on the subtle role of
playing father when he suggested to Lorenzo that faking a seizure would be the safest way out
of a fight.
Ch 21: Lorenzo is in charge of making sure the robot is able to extract sample from the barrels
underwater. Even though the other schools were using more complex tools and mechanisms for
their robots, Lorenzo stuck to his plan of using only a balloon for his idea. After multiple tests,
the balloon repeatedly failed. But with motivation from Fredi, Lorenzo successfully made his
mechanism work.
Ch 22: Lorenzos mother was laid off from work and his father was an alcoholic. On top of all
this, his family now faces eviction.
Ch 23: Oscar, Luis, and Fredi conclude that maneuverability is critical for their ROV. Fredi
suggested that the team invest in trolling motors which would work well with small, lightweight
robots. After finding out about their intention with the motors, Kevin Luebke, Mercury Marines
company endorsement manager, sold the boys five discounted motors. The team also continued
conducting tests on the ROV and making the proper adjustments here and there to make their
robot durable yet reliable.
Ch 24: A month after the nationwide teams began their ROV constructions, Dean Kamen hosted
his annual robot basketball challenge: students were to build a robot that could collect a variety
of balls from across a basketball court and do pull ups. As a way to make their construction more
efficient, the boys decided to focus on building an ROV that would be able to do a pull up as
opposed to collecting the balls. After the competition, the boys received the Engineering
Inspiration award which granted them a spot in the championship in Atlanta; even though they
only placed 39th out of 73 in that championship, the team had a fantastic time with their robot.

Ch 25: Lorenzo feels as if his team is a family; building a robot made him feel comfortable. But
he was also interested in culinary arts. As an act to keep Lorenzo on the team, Fredi and Allan
volunteered to cover the costs of his summer cooking classes.
Ch 26: In an attempt to master the complete assembly of their ROV, Oscar made the team
complete several timed tests to further improve their assembly speed; the team brought down
their time from one hour to twenty minutes. The fumes from the glue, however, made it difficult
for the team to build their robot in just one sitting so the boys took turns holding their breath,
building what they could on the robot, and switching partners when they could no longer hold
their breath. The team also noticed that a portion of the robot was not fitting into place so they
used a heat gun to fix the pipe (the heat caused the pipe to bend, making it easier for the boys
to alter its original shape). Because of the fumes the robot gave off, they decided to call him
Stinky.
Ch 27: The team uses Tina Lowes pool as a way to test out Stinky. After solving its buoyancy
problems, the team successfully managed to control their robot underwater; unfortunately, Stinky
had too much power and ended up crashing into the walls of the pool.
Ch 28: After configuring their robot and making the proper adjustments regarding speed and
acceleration, the team decided they were ready for the competition. But a problem arose; Hanke
did not meet the grade average of a B to be able to stay in the robotics team. As a consequence to
his low grade, he was kicked off the team. Since he was the second driver of Stinky, Oscar was
forced to practice using both joysticks to maneuver Stinky; he eventually masters it.
Ch 29: The team heads out to the robotics competition on Thursday, June 24, 2004. The team
was divided into two separate cars which is why each car was equipped with a portable ham
radio with it, the boys began practicing and studying what they would say to the judges about the
engineering revolving around Stinky. On the way to the competition, Lorenzo remembered that
situation his family was in- the eviction- and felt that this competition would be the last time he
would do something that did not involve manual labor.
Response to the Reading: I was glad that the team created this family-like bond with each
other. I was also relieved that the team was able to build Stinky without any complications. They
seem to be ready for the competition- which is very exciting. I was disappointed to find out about
Lorenzos current status; the difficulties he faced were not to be taken lightly. I compared those
challenges to my own life and realized that I was just like Lorenzo on the trip to the competition.
I often sit and think about how my family problems interfere with my education and wonder if
what I am doing will turn out the way I expect it to be or if some other obstacle will arise which
will lead to my downfall. These chapters, for me, seemed to explain that no matter what
circumstances we face in life, there will always be a way to fix it only if you know how to pick
yourself up and try again.

Discussion Questions:
1. How would the group be different if Oscar was the one who was kicked off of the robotics
team?
2. Can a team be considered a family? Explain why.
My Reading Process: I was able to read these chapters without any confusion. The time ended
up going by quickly because I was very interested in finding out what would become of their
ROV. Chapter twenty two, although short, distracted me by making me think about my personal
life and the challenges I am facing. But it opened up my eyes and actually made me feel better; I
realized that even though one person could be battling a set of problems, there will always be
another person out there who will be battling something even worse. For example, I am dealing
with family problems that take a toll on my education and overall health. But Lorenzo is facing
eviction, his mother is laid off, and his father is an alcoholic. On top of that, he is living in the
U.S illegally which means he lives in constant fear of deportation. This was my entire distraction
before I proceeded to read the rest of the chapters. Other than that, I read through these chapters
in a breeze!
Significant Words:
Expectation: a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future
Experience: practical contact with and observation of facts or events
Hope: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen
I chose these words because I felt that the chapters represented what it meant to be a family. The
boys worked together on a problem (the robot) and faced several challenges that prohibited them
from getting out the best of their creation. Their expectation of Stinky was to be able to beat MIT
but in order to do that, they needed to fix the problem right away. Each member of the family
would suggest different solutions to fix the problem. The experience they learned from their
mistakes (too much acceleration in Stinky, buoyancy) lead to the development of hope in each
one of them. A family who experiences a multitude of problems gains experience from them.
They create solutions to make sure the problems do not arise again. From there, their
expectations will remain positive since they know that family can get through any challenge
together.