Bayside student competes in VEX Robotics Competition
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Kayla Ho of Bayside loved
learning about “how things
work” even before she learned
about engineering.
The New York Institute of
Technology (NYIT) graduate
student recalled her early years
tinkering with household items
in order to figure them out.
“Having learned what
engineering is, I would say
that my interests began at a
very young age. I have always
enjoyed learning about how
things work. There were many
casualties in my quest for
knowledge — cassette players,
CD players, old telephones,
radios — some that never
worked the same way once I
‘figured out’ how they worked.
It was definitely a trying
period, and I was redirected
to making scale models and
LEGOs,” Ho said.
It wasn’t until her senior
year of high school at Townsend
Harris High School in Flushing
that Ho would learn more
about the field, which solidified
her interest in becoming an
engineer.
“I took science research as
a sophomore. In that class, we
learned how to write papers,
pick topics and do research,
but the part I enjoyed most were
the experiments,” she said.
“Junior year I took physics and
the circuits and electronics
portion of the class just clicked.
Then my senior year of high
school, I took robotics class as
an elective and I knew I had
found my calling card — I
wanted to be an engineer.”
Ho enrolled at NYIT and
earned her Bachelor of Science
in electrical and computer
engineering and minors in
mathematics and energy
science, technology, and policy.
After graduating in 2017, she
continued her education at
NYIT and is currently working
on a masters in electrical and
computer engineering which
she is set to complete this year.
Last July, Ho and three of
her classmates were presented
with the opportunity to
participate in the AI Taoyuan
Taiwan International
Robotics Tournament to run
Taiwan’s inaugural VEX
Robotics Competition for
high schoolers. They were
approached by Chien-Kuo
Lee, a Taiwanese robotics
professional and director
of Happy Robots Studio and
were officially invited to the
tournament in August 2018.
She and her colleagues
were responsible for judging
the competition, organize and
referee the tournament, do their
own robotics demonstration
and attend meetings and events.
Ho recalls the preparation that
went into the competition.
“We had conference calls
with the organizers in Taiwan,
set aside time for training,
prepared meeting notes and
presentations and of course
set aside time to construct
two well-functioning robots to
bring to the event,” Ho said.
The three-day event featured
thousands of participants from
all ages showcasing their work
in over 100 different robotics
tournaments with specialties in
aquatic, aerial and terrestrial
robotics. The master’s student
recalls the experience fondly.
“It was unlike anything I
have ever experienced before;
the level of energy, intellect
and professionalism, in
young students no less, was
unparalleled,” she shared.
KAYLA HO
During her time at NYIT,
Ho also became involved in the
school’s branch of the Institute
of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE), the largest
technical professional
organization in the world. She
joined the organization during
her freshman year in order
to be part of a professional
engineers organization and
become friends with students
who shared her major.
She climbed the ranks from
general member to treasurer
and was eventually voted
IEEE chair from 2015 to 2017.
From 2017 to 2018, she was
co-chair of the organization
with a fellow student and was
also the Regional Student
Representative (RSR) for IEEE
Region 1. As a graduate student,
Ho said that she has taken on a
more “advisory role” for the
current members.
Under her leadership,
NYIT’s IEEE chapter won
several awards including
Velio Marsocci Outstanding
Student Branch Award for best
student branch in Long Island
and a bid to host the 2018 IEEE
Northeastern U.S. Student
Conference in March 2018.
After graduate school,
Ho wants to pursue a Ph.D.
in robotics engineering in
order to “help develop the
latest technology that can help
society progress and advance.”
She is currently working with
her advisor on biomedical
technology in the NYIT
Clean Room “focusing on the
fabrication of biosensors at the
nanoscale level.”
Mets host annual
Winter Blood Drive
1
2
3
1: There were plenty of refreshments available for those who donated blood at the Mets’ annual Winter Blood Drive in the Foxwoods
Club at Citi Field. 2: Mr. Met prepares to give blood. 3: The Mets offered a voucher for two tickets to select 2019 home games to
those who donated. Photos by Bruce Adler
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