A resident of Westbury, New York, Valerie Varnuska enjoys learning new things. Innovative uses of machinery and developments in the field of robotics are of particular interest to Valerie Varnuska.

1. Winners of Robotics Competition
Inspire Film
Valerie Varnuska

2. Introduction
• A resident of Westbury, New York, Valerie Varnuska enjoys
learning new things. Innovative uses of machinery and
developments in the field of robotics are of particular interest
to Valerie Varnuska.
Each year, numerous robotics competitions take place across
the United States. One of the competitions garnered national
attention after it inspired a 2015 movie entitled Spare Parts,
starring George Lopez, Marisa Tomei, and Jamie Lee Curtis.
The movie tells the true story of four Mexican immigrants
from Carl Hayden Community High School in Phoenix,
Arizona, who entered a prestigious robotics competition in
2005 sponsored by NASA.

3. Spare Parts
• With a budget of only $800, spare parts from a variety of
sources, and a great deal of determination, the four high
school students constructed a robot they nicknamed
Stinky.
At the Marine Advanced Technology Education
underwater robotics competition in Santa Barbara,
Stinky completed a variety of intricate underwater tasks,
competing against other robots constructed by well-
funded teams from universities across the country.
Stinky's humble origins did not hinder its effectiveness,
however, and the four high school students from Phoenix
were awarded top honors for their design.