www.theroundupnews.com Woodland Hills, California
A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION Volume 120 - Issue 3
INSIDE IIN NSSSIIID N DEE D
UP
Intent: Player joins Western Michigan team ...Page 8
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
One copy free, each additional copy $1.00
Building a dream with technology
Student inventor takes on many roles while he engineers a bright future with advanced robotics Mariah Sherriffe Roundup Reporter
A
student’s goal is to find their future, but Casey Spencer is building his. From hand crafting drones to discussing the latest technology on his KPCRadio.com show, Spencer seeks to be on the cutting edge of new technology. The robotics junkie went from spending the majority of his time in the library to constructing quadcopters and hosting a radio show called “The Memory Dump.” Also, Spencer is the treasurer of the Robotics Club and a freelance information technologist. Spencer exhibited traits of creativity from an early age. “As a child, I remember my parents always trying to hide the scotch tape from me so I would stop making my weekly box forts,” Spencer said. The drive to create didn’t stop there. One of his most recent creations is a quadcopter, which includes a pair of goggles that give an aerial view through a wirelessly connected camera attached to the drone. During Club Rush, Spencer used the quadcopter to do flyovers around other booths and students to draw attention to the Robotics Club. “Initially, I was inspired when I went on YouTube and saw drone enthusiasts’ creations of their
aero technology low flyovers and thought, ‘If these people can build things from nothing, why can’t I,’” Spencer said. Spencer’s creativity further developed when he became a member of the Robotics club in 2011.
“He takes his time with everything. He gets it right the first time too. It’s kind of embarrassing for me.” -Nima Ganjehloo Robotics Club member
“He is really responsible, has a great mind and is really dedicated,” said Yiran Tong, president of the Robotics Club. “When I asked him if he would be interested in being president, I knew he could do the job because of his experience. He has been with the club for two years and he has a lot of potential.” During his time with the Robotics Club, he was asked to co-host “The Memory Dump,” a show that speaks about consumer technology and the history of science technology. “People always told me I had a
Nicolas Heredia/Roundup
DRONE: Spencerʼs drone flies around Pierce College campus.
radio voice and that I should go into voice acting, so when I got the part I was excited. I had always wanted to do it but always thought it would be a back up plan or side project,” Spencer said. “With everything else I was doing, it seemed perfect.” Spencer cultivated many
friendships during his time at the Robotics Club and from hosting his radio show. “I have been friends with Casey for almost two years. We share similar interests and he has even got me into the radio station to co-host with him,” Robotics Club member Simon Tutak said. “He is a positive influence.” Patience seems to be Spencer’s path to success, as noted by his
friends and other members of the Robotics Club. “He takes his time with everything. He gets it right the first time too. It’s kind of embarrassing for me,” said Nima Ganjehloo, an electrical engineering major and member of the Robotics Club. Depending on whether or not Spencer decides to transfer, he will continue to host “The Memory Dump” and may consider to take the title of being club president for the Robotics Club if offered again. His experiences so far have
allowed him to meet and network with billionaires including the Founder of Activision, Howard Marks, and Co-founder of Snapchat Evan Spiegel that confirm a passion for aero technology and radio hosting. “To me, they were my creations. Even though my parents always encouraged me to continue, they always made sure they had their secret stash of tape for themselves.”
New neighborhood market brings community together at local high school
Health Center promotes awareness for HIV/AIDS
Richard Zamora Roundup Reporter
Tracy Wright Editor-in-chief
Trading post finds a new location in the San Fernando Valley The Melrose Trading Post opened its second location on Saturday, March 15 at Taft Charter High School in Woodland Hills with a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new weekly market which opens at 9 a.m. and will raise funds for the school. The ceremony featured L.A. City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield who cut the ribbon, and LAUSD board member Steve Zimmer who spoke to the crowd and the estimated 150 vendors who showed up for opening day. “To LAUSD folks here and to the LAUSD folks that are watching somewhere, this is great proof that when we choose to work together great things can happen,” Zimmer said. “This trading post, this marketplace, I really believe that this is going to continue for generations just like we have at Fairfax.” The Melrose Trading Post (MTP) has been operating a market for the public at Fairfax High School for the past 16 years. MTP was co-founded by Pierson Blaetz and Whitney Weston who originally approached the school for arts education classes but saw a greater need. “It was a partnership with two
RUONLINE?
This semester’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Week featuring guest speakers in classrooms and free and confidential testing began at Pierce on Monday, March 17 and is hosted by the student Health Center.
“Getting the new generation informed is most important.” -Loralyn Frederick Health Center assistant
Jason Sudds / Roundup
MARKET: The Le Boustique bus at the Melrose Trading Post at Taft Charter High School March 15. parents that were part of the parent organization at the time. Fairfax had 3,700 students and three involved parents,” Blaetz said. “They didn’t need arts education classes at that time, they needed money. They were really struggling. So we proposed this idea of a trading post in their parking lot.” The Fairfax location operates
/roundupnews /roundupnews
Sundays. An admission ticket is $3 with 100% of the entrance fees going to the school along with a portion of the vendor fees. The Taft market will use the similar structure with an admission price of $2. “It was very humble in its beginnings, and now the last four Sundays we’ve been averaging close to 5,000 people attending
P I E R C E
/theroundupnews @roundupnews
Program offers free testing on campus
The Pierce College Weather Station has provided meteorological data to national agencies since 1949.
Wednesday March 19 High: 81° Low: 52°
Sunny
and we have 240 vendors,” Blaetz said. “At Fairfax High School over the 16 years we’ve raised over $5,000,000 for the school. Its primary goal is as a fundraiser for the school, but certainly an important goal is community building.” Many of the vendors present for the opening were regulars from [See POST, pg. 3]
The first of two weeks of awareness includes guest speakers from the “Being Alive” series visiting classrooms and discussing their journey with HIV/AIDS, awareness, and prevention. Professors can book a speaker to come to their classroom and inform students on their battles with the incurable disease. “Getting the new generation informed is most important,” Health Center assistant Loralyn Frederick said. “We’re still active and trying to find a cure.” The first week of awareness
W E A T H E R
focuses on the “Being Alive” speaker series, a program that involves lecturers living with AIDS or HIV speaking to students and faculty in an informal classroom setting. “I already had a speaker last week for one of my classes and I have another one tomorrow,” criminal justice professor Kathy Oborn said. “We are having a speaker come and speak to our new faculty in April. It is a very important topic.” Free and confidential HIV/AIDS testing will begin on Monday, March 24 in Parking Lot 1 from 2-7 p.m. and end on Thursday, March 27. The mobile testing unit anticipates around 50-80 people per day, according to Beth Benne, director of the Health Center. The testing takes approximately 25 to 30 minutes and results of the testing are given that day. “They use to have to draw blood and then come in the following week for results,” Benne said. If students are not available for the free testing, the Health Center regularly provides HIV testing that costs $13 and results will be provided in 24 hours. “This is so real still,” Benne said. “Nobody should be afflicted by this horrible disease.” For more information on booking a speaker for a classroom or prevention methods, contact the Health Center at (818) 710-4270.
R E P O R T
Thursday March 20
Friday March 21
Saturday March 22
Sunday March 23
Monday March 24
Tuesday March 25
Wednesday March 26
High: 80° Low: 52°
High: 71° Low: 51°
High: 68° Low: 50°
High: 71° Low: 51°
High: 74° Low: 53°
High: 76° Low: 52°
High: 70° Low: 50°
Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy
Sunny
Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy