Cheers rang out as a machine propelled a small golf ball into the air, which dropped into a target five feet away. 75 teams of high school and college students traveled to Pasadena to compete in the annual JPL Invention Challenge, with three teams from teacher Mr. Dave Dickie’s Advanced Computer-Aided Design class representing TCHS. The team of Sophomores Frank Chang, Allen Chen and Derrick Ma advanced to the finals, edging out teams as close as South Pasadena and as far as Turkey, but was disqualified.
Beginning in September, Advanced CAD students worked in groups of three to design and build an invention that could propel or move a golf ball into a target 1.5 meters away, with the goal of getting the fastest time. Even though their invention’s golf ball went into the target, it bounced out, disqualifying Chang, Chen and Ma from the competition.
In November, Advanced CAD students held an in-class competition and voted on which teams to send to JPL, deciding on three teams made of Chang, Chen and Ma; Seniors Isaiah Durden and Ricardo Mendoza and Junior Joshua Kok; and Junior Tony Lim and Sophomores Jimmy Do and Yiming Ma.