Teens from 10 area states exhibit prowess for building, design and strategy at robotics competition

By Mike Frontiero and Eugenia Anderson-Ellis

Richmond, Va. – High school students from 12 states and the District of Columbia have been tasked with the challenge and excitement of designing and building an original robot in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition. Six weeks of intense design and construction will culminate in the NASA Langley/VCU School of Engineering FIRST robotics competition, where 66 teams of students and professional mentors will demonstrate their skill for science, mathematics and technology March 7-9, at VCU’s Siegel Center, 1200 West Broad St. in Richmond.. They will compete for honors and recognition that reward design excellence, competitive play, sportsmanship and high-impact partnerships between schools, businesses and communities.

Founded by inventor Dean Kamen, who recently introduced the SegwayTM Human Transporter (HT), FIRST was created to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people, their schools and their communities. Currently in its eleventh year, the FIRST Robotics Competition anticipates its largest season ever with more than 600 teams from Brazil, the U.K., Canada and nearly every state in the U.S. competing in 17 different regional competitions. More than 2,000 students will compete in the competition and many will also attend the Championship held April 25-27 at Walt Disney World’s Epcot in Orlando, Fla.

"The FIRST Robotics Competition is not just about the design and building of sophisticated robots. These students also develop maturity, professionalism, teamwork and mentoring skills that enrich their lives," said Kamen. "Many of our students develop an affinity for their science and math courses, go on to study engineering, technology or science in college, and also pursue employment opportunities with sponsoring companies."

This season, participating FIRST students are also eligible to apply for $1.7 million in scholarships from leading universities, colleges and companies. All scholarship announcements will be made at the FIRST Championship in April.

Over a six-week timeframe, students work with their professional mentors to design a robot that solves a problem using a "kit of parts" and a standard set of rules. Once these young inventors create the robot, their teams participate in regional competitions that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration and the determination of students. In this year’s game, "Zone Zeal," robots are designed to collect soccer balls, put them into goals, then move those goals into specified zones in order to earn points – all in less than two minutes.

Since its beginning, FIRST has had a positive impact on students and academic communities. A survey by Goodman Research Group of Boston, MA found that participating FIRST students’ attitudes about science, math, teamwork and the working world significantly improved after participating. The students’ self-image also improved, particularly in minority groups. Also, interest in internship and employment opportunities with sponsoring companies increased.

High schools from the District of Columbia and the following states will be represented at the competition: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. For a complete list of participating high schools by state go to usfirst.org or click here.

FIRST Richmond regional sponsors and volunteers come from some of the most highly regarded organizations in the area, including:
GE Financial 
Raytheon
Lockheed Martin
Intellibot LLC
Infineon Technologies
Dominion Virginia Power
DuPont Spruance
Capital One
Invensys Control Systems 
Atlantic Research Corporation
Parikh Advanced Systems, Inc
Siemens Building Technologies
Virginia Business- Education Partnership

Sponsors provide resources including time and talent from professional mentors, services, equipment, financial contributions and volunteers.