On July 2, several members of the Oceanside and Cold Spring Harbor High School robotics teams received a tour of FESTO’s facility in Hauppauge. The two teams were chosen as winners of FESTO’s Facebook photo contest, in which they posted photos of team members and the robot they used in this year’s Long Island FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition. The teams’ photos received the most “likes,” earning them a visit to FESTO.

While viewing FESTO’s production facility and technology lab, students learned about factory and process automation, as they watched presentations on handling devices, design coordination, and manufacturing automation. The tour gave the students a taste of what they can expect when they enter college to continue following their hopes of being in the fields of science, technology and engineering. It also gave the students a glimpse of what could be in store after graduation and exposed the students to the real-world applications of the technology and manufacturing field. After the tour, students enjoyed lunch and took part in a question-and-answer session with FESTO employees.

FESTO Corporation has been a major sponsor of SBPLI and its FIRST Robotics programs for many years and SBPLI is so grateful to FESTO for arranging this very special experience for the robotics students.