Science and Robotics teacher Marc Allard and his students had been preparing for the FIRST Tech Challenge, designing, building and programming robots using TETRIX and LEGO kits. In this national robotics competition, more than 15,000 students attempt to build the robot most suited for the challenge task, forming alliances with other teams to take on their competitors.

Menlo’s teams needed to practice. So they build a temporary competition arena in a dark basement surrounded by old classroom furniture. Their work led them several first place finishes in the FTC Northern California Championships, and even to second place at the 2011 World Championships.

As the Robotics program–along with the Applied Science Research and Engineering programs–grew, it was clear a new learning place was needed. A generous donor allowed Menlo to build the Arthur Allen Whitaker Lab.

The new lab feels like an inventor’s garage. By integrating the various areas of science under one roof, students get a broader view with hands-on applications. Stop by and you may find students testing with a wide variety of probes and circuit boards, incubating cells, using mitre saws to build an electric bike, programming a robot or engineering a roller coaster. The lab is also home to Menlo’s M-BEST (Menlo’s Bridge to Engineering, Science and Technology) program for girls interested in science and math, and it provides a space to work as a pilot school in the MENTOR Makerspace program—read more about that here.