Robotics Program (PVIT)

The Palos Verdes Institute of Technology (PVIT) is the award-winning engineering program of Palos Verdes High School. It is composed of two parts: PVIT Engineering Pathway and PVIT Teams.

After PVHS reopened in 2001, PVIT became the only high school program in the United States to field a DARPA Grand Challenge autonomous vehicle. Competing with entries from top universities, such as Cal Tech, MIT, Virginia Tech, and the winning vehicle from Stanford, the PVIT vehicle advanced to the second round of competition. With this established record of success, the PVIT Engineering program evolved further to offer pre-college engineering courses while continuing opportunities for engineering competitions, internships, mentoring, and research.

PVIT ENGINEERING PATHWAY
The PVIT academic program, based on the nationally recognized Project Lead the Way (PLTW) curriculum, is open to all students at PVHS. The three-year pathway starts with an Introductory course, Concentrator course, and ends with a Capstone course.

• Year 1 (Introductory): Introduction to Engineering Design
• Year 2 (Concentrator): Aerospace Engineering or Civil Engineering and Architecture
• Year 3 (Capstone): Engineering Design and Development

PVIT TEAMS
PVIT Teams (Engineering Advanced Projects) are an opportunity for students to apply the concepts learned in the PVIT Engineering Pathway. PVIT Teams are open to any high school student at PV High.

This program has grown to over 150 students meeting every Sunday to learn and experience hands-on engineering. Students obtain invaluable skills and knowledge while solving real-world problems, often posed through engineering competitions. Students are mentored by award-winning teachers and some of the top engineers in our community who have over 500 years of engineering experience combined. Where else can a high school student build an electric vehicle, fabricate an underwater robot for marine exploration, program an autonomous ground vehicle guided only by sensors and GPS, launch, track and recover a high altitude balloon to 100,000 feet above the earth’s surface, optimize a solar-powered boat for racing, or design autonomous quadcopters for search and rescue missions?

PVIT Teams are technically extensive, unlike many other high school programs nationwide, with over 9 main teams to excite each students’ technical interest. PVIT Team projects have continued the legacy of excellence by placing in international and national competitions, often against universities or private robotics corporations. Come join the fun where you can truly experience real-world engineering in a unique environment that is entirely student-centered. We invite you to stop by any Sunday 2-4PM to see the new ideas and projects we have going on.