Watch: Fireworks, Apple Pie and Robots

A high schooler and his robotics teammates create a lunar rover replica for a small town Fourth of July parade

The Fourth of July parade in Flagstaff, Arizona, is “a place where you wouldn’t usually see science or engineering,” according to Oscar Manuel Samano, a teenage robotics engineer. He wanted to change that, even while he faced discouragement from his elders.

Luckily, he found the CocoNuts — a high school robotics team that embraced him as a member of its family. Together, they set out to build a quarter-scale replica of the Mars lunar rover to premiere at the Fourth of July parade.

In this video, see how Oscar and his teammates hope to inspire their town — and towns across the country —to view science as an integral part of American culture.

The Flagstaff project is one of hundreds of science engagement activations supported by Science in Vivo, an initiative of the MIT Museum that provides resources and networking opportunities to organizations across the country.

Science in Vivo joined the Science Sandbox community of awardees in August 2017.

The Stories of Impact series highlights the real-world influences of Science Sandbox projects through personal narratives, videos and interviews. Discover more stories here.