FIRST to Unveil 2008 Robotics Competition Challenge

Dec. 19, 2007

FIRST to Unveil 2008 Robotics Competition Challenge

Virginia Commonwealth University to Host Jan. 5 Regional Kickoff

By Pattie Cook and Steve Morawetz

More than 400 high school students, as well as engineers, teachers and mentors will gather at Virginia Commonwealth University's Student Commons on Saturday, Jan. 5, for the official kickoff to the 2008 FIRST Robotics Competition. Participants will view a live broadcast of the FIRST Kickoff event, to be transmitted by NASA from FIRST headquarters in Manchester, N.H., to 47 remote sites around the world.

The event officially launches the 2008 FIRST Challenge Season, with team members learning about the engineering "problems" they will be challenged to solve, as well as the rules for the FIRST Robotics Competition, an annual event that challenges high school students, working with professional mentors, to design and build a robot as a solution to a technical engineering problem that changes every year. Teams also will receive parts "kits" containing robot components. Participants on more than 60 high school teams will build robots and compete in the FIRST Robotics NASA/VCU Regional Competition, to be held March 6 through March 8, 2008, at VCU's Siegel Center.

The Virginia kickoff event, scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. at the VCU Student Commons, 907 Floyd Ave., will feature several live speakers (subject to change), including:

· Russell D. Jamison, Ph.D., Dean, VCU School of Engineering

· Scott McKay, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Genworth Financial; Chair, VirginiaFIRST Advisory Board.
Visit www.virginiafirst.org for additional information and refer to the following listing for team and sponsor details.

FIRST TO UNVEIL 2008 ROBOTICS COMPETITION CHALLENGE – Team List

2008 FIRST Robotics Teams (As of Dec. 18, 2007)

Team Name	Location
CSI / NASA Headquarters & Herndon High School	Herndon, VA USA
ASME/Canon Virginia Inc./Jefferson Labs/NASA Langley Research Center/Old Point National Bank/Thomas Nelson Community College & New Horizons Regional Education Center	Hampton, VA USA
New World Associates/Battelle Memorial Institute/Stafford County Economic Development Authority & Commonwealth Governor's School	Stafford, VA USA
Alstom Power/Dupont/Peer Consortium at JTCC & Lloyd C. Bird Pre-Engineering Program	Chesterfield, VA US
University of Hawaii Physics / NAVSEA Detachment Pacific / The Urata Corporation / NASA Ames Research Center / Video Dreams Inc. / McInerny Foundation / Hawaii Web Design, Inc. / R.M. Towill Corp. / Castle & Cooke, Inc. Dole Plantation / Waialua Federal Credit Union / Waialua High School Foundation / Festivals Hawaii-Haleiwa Sea Spree / BOVIS Lend Lease / Alexander & Baldwin Foundation-Matson Navigation Co. / Matsumoto Shave Ice / Waialua HS Class of '41 / Kenneth Koga / XCel Hawaii / CMKLV / Fred C. Gross / Hawaii Space Grant Consortium / Pacific Geotechnical Engineers, Inc. / ASCE Hawaii / Gordon Kuwada / Waialua Lions Club / Charles Nakoa III / Iron Horse Development & Waialua Complex 21st CCLC Grant & HI DOE-Central District & Waialua High School	Waialua, HI USA
GE Volunteers/Qimonda of Richmond/Flexicell/ShowBest Fixture Corp./Specialty's Our Name/ChemTreat/Sams Club/CAPER/ITT Technical Institute & Henrico Co. Education Foundation & Tucker High School	Richmond, VA USA
Pal's Electric Shop/Terra Tech Engineering/Appalachian School of Pharmacy & Grundy High School	Grundy, VA USA
Virginia Tech School of Education & Montgomery County Public Schools	Christiansburg, VA USA
Qimonda & Richmond Community High School	Richmond, VA USA
Capital Area Partners for Educational Reform/Farmer Machine Company/Henrico Education Foundation/ITT Technical Institute/The Jackson Foundation & Hermitage Technical Center	Richmond, VA USA
New Market Corporation/Dupont Advanced Fiber Systems & Maggie L. Walker Governor's School	Richmond, VA USA
EMC Corporation/Hunter Industries, Inc./NCSU College of Engineering & Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School	Raleigh, NC USA
ShowBest Inc. / TKL / ITT Technical Institute / UPS Store at Gayton Crossing & Mills Godwin High School	Richmond, VA USA
Duke University/J W Faircloth and Son/Microsoft & Orange High School & Cedar Ridge High School	Hillsborough, NC USA
Central Virginia Community College/AREVA/Region 2000 Technology Council & Lynchburg City Schools	Lynchburg, VA USA
Explus Inc. & Langley High School	McLean, VA USA
Noblis/Northrop Grumman/SAIC/IAI/AOL & Chantilly Academy	Chantilly, VA USA
Highland Springs High School	Highland Springs, VA USA
University of Virginia/GE Volunteers/MoneyWise Payroll Solutions/Parker Intellectual Property Law Firm, PLC/MoneyWise Bookkeeping Services/Cableform, Inc. & Charlottesville Albemarle High Schools	Charlottesville, VA USA
Sprint Nextel / VMD System Integrators, Inc. / JMHS PSTA / Optimist Club of Vienna & James Madison High School	Vienna, VA USA
NIH / IEEE / Lockheed Martin / Phadia / BAE SYSTEMS / Princeton Information / Telford Technologies & Oakton High School & Oakton High School Academic Boosters	Vienna, VA USA
Bayer Crop Science & North Carolina High School of Science and Mathematics	Durham, NC USA
Motorola Foundation & Benjamin Banneker Academic HS	Washington, DC USA
Dominion/CapTech Ventures, Inc./JetBlue Airways/PEER Tech Prep Consortium/John Tyler Community College & James River High School	Midlothian, VA USA
Alstom Power, Inc./Wyeth Engineering/Dupont Spruance & Benedictine High School & Saint Gertrude High School	Richmond, VA USA
Eck Supply Inc / McKesson Corp. / Henrico Education Foundation / Flexicell / Qimonda NA / Showbest Fixture Corp. / Midwest Industrial Chemical Co & Deep Run High School	Glen Allen, VA USA
Sartomer Corporation / Community Foundation of Danville Pittsylvania County / Mecklenberg Electric Co-operative / Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce / Chatham Rotary Club / Intertape Polymer Group & Pittsylvania County Schools & Chatham High School	Chatham, VA USA
Autodidactic Intelligent Minors	Alexandria, VA USA
Mathews High School	Mathews, VA USA
SMC Corporation & Richmond Technical Center	Richmond, VA USA
AMF Bakery System & Huguenot High School	Richmond, VA USA
Galileo Magnet High School	Danville, VA USA
Patrick Henry Community College/American Electric Power/Bassett Furniture, Inc./Hooker Furniture Corporation/CP Films, Inc & Piedmont Governor's School for Mathematics, Science and Technology	Martinsville, VA USA
Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative & Mecklenburg County Public Schools	Skipwith, VA USA
Sonic Tools & Hanover High School & Hanover County Board of Education	Mechanicsville, VA USA
Peer Consortium at JTCC / American Electrical Inc. / Filtrona Fibertec / Pocket Money Recycling Co. / Southern Electronics / Ervin Coppridge Machine Co / Hunton & Williams & Midlothian High School	Midlothian, VA USA
Kiwanis Club of Danville / Danville Public Schools Gifted Resources / The Tobacco Commission / EIT / Jarrett Welding / Gamewood Data Systems & George Washington High School	Danville, VA USA
Qimonda Richmond & Atlee High School	Mechanicsville, VA USA
BAE Systems/Burgess & Co./Vic's Signs and Engraving/FNS Network/International Paper/Hercules, Inc. & Franklin High School	Franklin, VA USA
NASA/Smyth County School Board & Smyth Career and Technology Center	Marion, VA USA
NASA/Raytheon & Fresta Valley Christian High School	Marshall, VA USA
NASA/AMSEC of Northrup-Grumman/Tabet Manufacturing, Inc. & Norview High School	Norfolk, VA USA
NASA/BAE Systems/ODU & Arcadia High School	Oak Hall, VA USA
TKC Communications / SAIC / Lockheed Martin / Micron Technology / SI International / Aurora Flight Sciences / ASCO / George Mason University & Battlefield High School	Haymarket, VA USA
Prince Edward High School	Farmville, VA USA
Northampton High School	Eastville, VA USA
NASA/New World Associates & Fredericksburg Academy	Fredericksburg, VA USA
Lockheed Martin/Northrup Grumman Newport News/Georgia Tech Research Institute/NASA/Craft Engineering & Phoebus High School & Hampton City Schools	Hampton, VA USA
NASA / Lockheed Martin / Micron Technology / BAE Systems & Osbourn Park High School	Manassas, VA USA
I.C. Norcom High School	Portsmouth, VA USA
Luck Stone Corporation/TKL Products Corp & Goochland High School	Goochland,, VA USA
GE Volunteers & Lake Taylor High School	Norfolk, VA USA
NASA/Qimonda/GSK/GE/ASME & Green Hope High School	Cary, NC USA
Northrop Grumman & Westfield High School	Chantilly, VA USA
NASA & Cosby High School	Midlothian, VA USA
US Army Research Laboratory/The Friends of Phillip Hamilton/Eagle Aviation Technologies, Inc. & Menchville High School	Newport News, VA USA
GM Powertrain / NASA / McQ Inc. & James Monroe High School	Fredericksburg, VA
Nottoway High School	Crewe, VA USA
Rockwell Collins / Intellectual Property Research & Harvester Teaching Services	Springfield, VA USA
Blue Print Automation & Hopewell Public Schools	Hopewell, VA USA
NASA / Dupont-Fayetteville Works & Westover High School	Fayetteville, NC USA
South Central High School Home School	Winterville, NC USA

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