On December 8, 2022, Stuyvesant hosted the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony of the $1.4 million Lin Brothers Robotic Lab, marking the long-awaited completion of a four-year project. Edwin Lin ’93 was in attendance to represent both himself and his brother, Alfred Lin ’90, who jointly donated $1 million in 2018 to fund the cost of building the new Robotics Lab. The opening ceremony was attended by city and state government officials. Guests from the Stuyvesant community included board members of the Alumni Association, leadership from the Parents Association, Stuyvesant’s Principals (current Principal Seung Yu and former Principal Eric Contreras) and Assistant Principals, and students from the school’s three Robotics teams.

Executive Director of the Stuyvesant High School Alumni Association (SHSAA), Diego S. Segalini ’98, served as master of ceremonies and introduced the first speaker, Principal Yu, who said that “Stuyvesant’s educational heritage has been deeply rooted in the tradition of Science, Technology and Mathematics for well over 100 years… with our new Robotics Lab, we will be able to build upon this strong foundation like never before by invest- ing in Engineering, and creating a tradition of Stuyvesant excellence in STEM for the next 100 years.” Gary Beidleman, the High School Superintendent for Manhattan, emphasized how important this lab is for NYC students and thanked Principal Yu as well as former Principal Contreras for the tremendous work that both school leaders have put into the opening of this lab.

Multiple government officials also applauded this new opening for NYC’s educational crown jewel. NYC Council Member, Christopher Marte remarked that today is all about potential. When he visited Stuyvesant last year, he was inspired by the sight of 100 Stuyvesant robotic students crowded in a small room and hallway “coming together to build something amazing, helping out students from [all over NYC], and sitting together around the table, exchanging ideas and changing the future.” New York State Senator Brian Kavanagh also shared those sentiments, saying, “Stuyvesant represents so much of our aspirations in New York to provide opportunities for young people to step up and lead in the future.”

NYC Council Member and former Manhattan Borough President, Gale Brewer marveled that she could not have envisioned this a few years ago despite playing a large role in Stuyvesant’s Pathway to Innovation herself. Council Member Brewer, in her previous role as Manhattan Borough President, provided over $700K in public funding for the Irwin Zahn Innovation Lab as well as upgrades to the Murray Kahn Theater over the last decade.

After the government officials came some short remarks from SHSAA President Elina Tetelbaum JD ’03, who talked about her immigrant background and how her Stuyvesant education unlocked her and her family’s life and transformed her future. She knows that this Lab will do the same for all the current and future generations of Stuyvesant students.

Edwin Lin, as the final speaker before the ribbon cutting ceremony, talked about how Stuyvesant imbued a lifelong love for mathematics in both him and his brother, Alfred. When the two brothers visited Stuyvesant and the Robotics team in 2018, they were inspired by the passion and enthusiasm those students had for robotics. Edwin and Alfred supported the plan for the new Robotics Lab in the hopes that it would help those students develop a lifelong passion like he and Alfred did from their own Stuyvesant experience. Edwin thanked the students, Robotics Coach Joseph Blay ’09, school leadership, and the Alumni Association for “achieving something incredible with this new lab” and he believes that “what will be achieved in this lab in the future will be nothing short of extraordinary.”

The Alumni Association thanks the following for making this day possible:

• Alfred Lin ’90 and Edwin Lin ’93 for their leadership gifts that started it all
• Arthur Blank ’60 and The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation for their major gift of a state-of-the-art 3D metal printer
• Former Principal Eric Contreras for the Principal’s Innovation Pathway that he started and Principal Seung Yu for his tenacity in carrying the project to the finish line during a historically challenging time
• Assistant Principal of Chemistry, Art, and Technology, Scott Thomas, for his meticulous work that pulled all of this together and Robotics Teacher and Coach Joseph “Joe” Blay ‘09 who inspires ours students with a passion for engineering and robotics
• The Parents’ Association for their partnership and support in providing our students with the resources, care, and attention they need to excel