Out on Elliott Key at the Biscayne BioBlitz, the freshman girls of Carrolton School of the Sacred Heart are showing off their robots. From their shore-based remote control station, they deftly maneuver a 'bot and watch its real-time underwater video feed on a laptop.
The frosh girls admit they didn’t build these robots. Seniors at the high school taught sixth graders how to make them as part of a sleepover project.
Their robotics teacher, Alan Crockwell, says the all-girl school churns out scientists. Last year’s graduating class alone sent three to MIT.
His extracurricular robotics program is so popular that the high school boasts more than 20 teams that dominate competitions at the college level. In addition to his work with Carrollton, Crockwell volunteers with Starbot, a non-profit that mentors students in the wonders of engineering, robotics, and technology.
Photos by Leigh Brock