Competition to Test Student-Designed Robots
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowMore than 30 high school robotics teams will compete this weekend in the inaugural Indiana FIRST District Championship. The competition involves student-designed, six-foot robots performing recycling-themed tasks.
March 31, 2015
News Release
Indianapolis, Ind. — The top 32 high school robotics teams in the state of Indiana will be facing off with their student-designed, 6ft tall & 120lb robots at Warren Central High School on April 3rd and 4th. These students will compete in the Indiana “Super Bowl of Smarts” at the inaugural Indiana FIRST District Championship.
Teams will be playing the 2015 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) game, Recycle Rush. In this recycling-themed game, two alliances with three robots score points by stacking totes, capping stacks with recycling containers, and properly “disposing” of pool noodles, representing litter. “The students on these teams had only six weeks to design, build, and program these robots before competition,” explains Renee Becker-Blau, Executive Director of IndianaFIRST. “Each team at the event will be competing for a chance to advance to the 2015 FIRST Championship that takes place in St. Louis, MO on April 22nd – 25th.”
As a member of an FRC team, students are exposed to the excitement of competitive robotics, inspiring many to continue on into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career pathways. Working with industry professionals as mentors, students are applying math and science concepts, teamwork, and strategic problem solving skills in situations that are as close to “real-world engineering” as students can get. The event would not be possible without support from AndyMark, TechPoint Foundation for Youth, Rolls-Royce, Rarebird, Software Engineering Professionals (SEP), 3M, Barnes & Thornburg, DOW AgroSciences, and Raytheon.
The District Championship will feature a scholarships row, organized by Nicole Mauntel, FIRST AmeriCorps VISTA of Indiana. “Our students have access to over $20 million in scholarships from universities around the world, including Rose-Hulman, Purdue University, Indiana State University, and the IUPUI School of Engineering & Technology. The hands-on aspects of the FIRST program and the soft-skills students develop make them ideal candidates for universities,” says Nicole.
The Indiana FIRST District Championship is free to the public and will give spectators a chance to see this highly-engaging, STEM skill-building program in action. The event runs open house style from 10:00AM – 6:00PM ET each day at Warren Central High School, 9500 East 16th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46229.
For more information on the District Championship visit the IndianaFIRST website at http://www.indianafirst.org/events or contact Renee Becker-Blau, Executive Director of IndianaFIRST at rbeckerblau@indianafirst.org or 414-704-1415.
Learn more about the program:
IndianaFIRST is an organization dedicated to growing FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics programs in the state of Indiana. FIRST is a multinational non-profit organization that aspires to transform our culture, making science, math, engineering, and technology as cool for kids as sports are today. Founded in the fall of 2001 as the Indiana-based affiliate of FIRST, IndianaFIRST brings FIRST programming to students in grades K-12, teaching them hands-on skills in engineering, science, and technology that they can relate back to their class work.
Source: IndianaFIRST