Robyn Valentine

Contributing Writer

On the sunny afternoon of September 15, Los Angeles councilman Paul Koretz walked down the ramp and onto the Milken campus. Waiting for him was a row of Milken Knights Robotics team members in their signature red t-shirts. Koretz and his staff stepped towards the excited team members and shook each one’s hand, ready to discover what new and innovative enterprises the team had been working on.

The Knights were well prepared for Koretz’s visit and had two gleaming robots displayed on the balcony next to the MAST room: their 2013 World Championship robot and their 2014 LA Regional robot. Each team member took turns explaining the breakdown of the parts and mechanisms of each robot, and as a special token of appreciation, the team gave Koretz a water jetted piece of the Championship robot.

Afterward, the team asked Koretz if he would like to drive the robot. Koretz was apprehensive at first, but with the help of the team he was able to launch frisbees right into the hands of one of his staffers. Koretz was then led into the MAST room and given a tour of the brand new robotics machine shop, where the team manufacturers most of the robots’ parts. When the tour was finished, the Knights presented Koretz with a proposal to make January 3 STEAM Day, a day that would recognize the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics in the city of Los Angeles. The date January 3 was chosen because it marks the beginning of FRC Week, the 6-week period in which the team builds its robot.

Koretz looks forward to developing a relationship with the Milken Knights. The team also looks forward to future visits from Koretz and hopes that he will return soon.