By now you've heard of the Nerd Herd, the team of four 12 to 14-year old St. Edmund's students who, this week, are headed from Brooklyn to the World Robotics Festival in Atlanta. With their motorized robot named Thingamajig, they won the championships here, and a spot alongside the Nation's best in Atlanta—but first they needed to raise the necessary funds to get there. After getting some press, vacuum inventor James Dyson stepped in to give them the monetary push they needed, but so did New York, and they ended up with an excess of $11,000!
As the big festival begins today, wish Brooklyn's Nerd Herd luck (not that they need it)! This week they told us a little bit about the history of the Herd, their smarts, and what they like to do in New York when they aren't being geniuses. Their coach Christine Zaremba also told us what a little bit about what it's like to work with the team, and how the spotlight's been treating them.
What's your reaction to the amount of press the Nerd Herd has gotten lately?
Benjamin Kelk: I was very shocked about the amount of press covering us.
Danny Alvarez: It's really incredible. I feel like 8.3 million people are depending on us to bring home the trophy. I never thought I would have my name in the paper for something I love to do! It blows my mind that New Yorkers can be so generous in these difficult times. Thank you New York and Mr Dyson!
Simon Shkreli: It was so hard to believe that a very small robotics team got a lot of publicity. After our first article in the Daily News, people from the tri-state area called not just to donate, but to tell stories about how they wish they had robotics and thatthere is finally some good news in the newspaper. We, as a team, are proud to be not just a herd of nerds who won the NYC Championship, but Brooklyn's Newest Rockstars!
Gregory Chin: I am stuck in the middle of reverence and awe. I am extremely honored that the Daily News, the Tablet, Sing Tao( a Chinese newspaper), Fox 5 news, ABC news, News 12 Brooklyn, NY 1, and Sinovision(Chinese television) came to our school, St. Edmund's just to interview us. No words can explain how ecstatic I am. I would like to thank all these reputable newspapers and news channels.
Where/when did you come up with the name?
SS: Last year we had four members: Me, former teamate Adriel Paderanga, who is in Brooklyn Tech High School, Danny Alveraz,and Richard Chian. As a team we had to think of a new name that has a good reputation and is different from all the other teams (ie:Robocats,Tecnic Kids,LEGO). When I was thinking of a name, I was having lunch, I was looking across the lunch room and I saw the rest of the team doing some nerdy things. Danny was always reading a book on how to play chess and Richard and Adriel were playing chess. After that lunch period, I had a successful subject. Now I have to make a good name. Geek Squad (NO!) Nerd Dudes (almost) Nerd....HERD! (YES!)
What do you expect out of, and what are you most excited for regarding the trip to Atlanta?
BK: The thing I am the most excited about is just the fact we get to go to Atlanta.
DA: I think that there is going to be quite a lot of pressure and we are going to be very busy. I'm looking forward to going to the Georgia Aquarium and meeting kids from all over the world.
SS: I am expecting a good time in this wonderful trip. Winning the NYC Championship is like winning a free [Man, I wish it was free] trip to Atlanta.I am most excited about the competition itself. I get to meet teams from around the world!
GC: Even though these events are very heartrending. One of my core values instilled in me by my parents is, "always have fun." I am really psyched about going to the Georgia Aquarium. It is one of, if not the best renowned aquariums in the whole world. My whole family is accompanying me to Georgia. My father, Thomas Chin is a man who values family above all else. Because of this, I have chosen Thomas as my Confirmation name. I am greatly honored that we are competing with the best of the best.
Can you tell us a little bit about the Thingamajig? BK: He has a very simple design that can do most of the missions on the mat.
DA: We built Thingamajig over the course of 2-3 months and made modifications as we went along. We couldn't think of what to call it so we just called it Thingamajig.
SS: This one is always easy. We use this legendary rule in the Nerd Herd: KISS (Keep It Simply Simple). The chassis is made from engineering ideas in a manual called the Constructopedia. The rest came from our nerdy brains.
GC: Thingamajig, our robot is one of the most simple robots. It is one of the only robots that does not not utilize a third motor. Our motto is K.I.S.S(Keep It Simply Simple). Even though the robot is overall extremely simple, there is one vital and complex part. They are the skis of the robot. While we were in the middle of building the robot, we had many different ideas. We built a prototype robot. It lacked the main component that I had mentioned before.The skis were ingenious. It allowed Thingamajig to maneuver with agility and ease.The skis were built on a day that I stretched my simple mindset. I used many pieces, but with each piece, I had already planned how it would go. The robot was extremely simple, but even though it is simple, it does not lack quality.
What dream project would you like to take on next as a team? DA: I feel that it would be a real accomplishment to build the most affordable environmentally friendly building in NYC that people would actually like to live in.
SS: Man if only FIRST we made a rumble robot battle game...
GC: Our research project is focused on algae and its effects on climate change.I want to experiment this. If we had more time, I want to see how algae would help, not in words, but in actions.
What are your favorite things to do in New York? BK: Go to Cyclones Games, go to Broadway , and do all assorted things.
DA: I enjoy going to the beach in the summer and walking around the city with my family. We like to go to the museums and try new restaurants.
SS: Personally, I would always like to see the sights of NYC. I also like to go to Barnes and Noble, Toys R Us Times Square, conventions like the auto show and the toy fair. And good restaurants too!
GC: I am a New York Mets fan. I enjoy going to Mets games with my family and sitting on the very top row of the upper deck. I play baseball, soccer, basketball, football, and I play baseball for a league called Amity Baseball. I am often stressed, but my favorite thing to do is going to robotics.
How long have you been working with the Nerd Herd?
Christine Zaremba: I started the team two years ago—this is my second year with Simon, Danny and Richie and my first with Greg and Ben.
What is your day-to-day like at the school?
CZ: My day to day at school is like a whirlwind: as Technology Coordinator, I'm equal parts computer teacher and IT support person. Like any other business, I have to be prepared for anything, like the principal spilling a mug of coffee on her keyboard, a teacher forgetting a crucial password or someone unplugging our internet when we were streaming the President's Inauguration speech to the student body. It's hectic and I wouldn't have it any other way! Robotics is another ball to keep in the air - I rarely leave before 5pm and it creeps into most of my daily activities.
Do you have coaching tips for others in your position out there?
CZ:The hardest part is really stepping back and letting the kids do the work. Sometimes I watch them struggle and the solution is so blindingly obvious to me that I just want to grab the robot and be like, "here!". What I'll do is pull them back, give them an activity that makes them think differently, and then try to draw connections between "thinking outside the box" and the way they're building the robot. When I really can't sit on my hands any longer, I leave the room. That's something REALLY important to hold onto. But my best advice would be to simply TRUST THEM - they will almost always make it work. Another tip would be just to let them be kids - they will learn and enjoy what they're doing more if its not a "school" environment but more of a club/fun environment. And feed them lots of pizza, it seems to be the fuel for the nerd's brain :) They also get rewards like Nerf Battles and robot sumo wrestling matches for every major accomplishment.
Do you think the kids will be mini-celebs while at the Robotics Festival? CZ:I'm not sure. I feel like every kid there deserves the kind of treatment these kids have gotten from New York, but it would still be pretty neat if they got recognized. I think the other NY teams will definitely know who they are!
I read that the school raised around $11K more than needed, what will happen with the extra funds?
CZ:Most importantly, I'm going to continue funding the robotics program with that money. I'd love to start a second team, maybe expand to an older age bracket and start an FTC team in the next two years.The extra money makes that possible! In a small Catholic school, we just don't have the cash laying around for these kinds of things, its all budgeted well in advance and this is like the biggest gift ever, especially when you have the kind of ambitions we have for the Nerds. More immediately, we're using some of the money to get the kids the little extras I was never able to afford for them: buttons and stickers to trade with other teams at the World Festival, t-shirts, a few extra batteries and motors, I've been able to get them backups for important pieces, all things that would have come out of my own pocket for this trip.
Please share your strangest "only in New York" story.
CZ: It's not strange, but I think my favorite "only in New York" story is the Nerd Herd story: we had one story in the Daily News and all of a sudden, my kids were mini celebrities and money was pouring in. People go their whole lives looking to make that "connection" with people and somehow, our team did it.
Which New Yorker do you most admire?
CZ: George Westinghouse—as the "Nerd Nanny" and a tech geek, I'm kind of obligated to admire the man who pioneered electricity as we know it!
Given the opportunity, how would you change New York?
CZ: Besides the taxes? I think New York is a pretty unique beast and to change any part of it would diminish that special quality that it has.
Under what circumstance have you thought about leaving New York?
CZ: Never! Unless you count me being old, rich and retired and having a vacation home someplace tropical, I really can't imagine living anywhere else. I'm born and raised in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn and the culture, experiences and food are unrivaled by anywhere I've traveled.
