Robot Smackdown Takes Ordinary Frisbee Game to New Heights

WHAT: Sixty-five national and international high school teams face off in the 22nd season of the Los Angeles regional FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition. This year’s theme is “Ultimate Ascent.”

The 2013 challenge is played between two alliances of three teams, each pitting robot against robot. Each alliance tries to score as many flying discs in its goals as possible during the two-minute-and-15-second match. Discs that hit higher goals score more team points, and bonus points are awarded if robots can climb a 10-foot- high steel pyramid at the end of the match.

Each team was given a kit containing motors, batteries, a control system, a PC and automation components, but no instruction manual. The students are given six weeks to turn the parts into a working robot that is programmed, tested and ready for competition. They tackle real-world engineering obstacles and solve problems with the help of engineers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., aerospace and other companies and higher-education institutions. JPL is sponsoring 12 robotics teams from Southern California.

The participants are among more than 304,000 students from around the world vying to compete in the FIRST Championship to be held April 24-27 in St. Louis, Mo.

WHO: More than 1,500 students from Southern California, Hawaii and Chile, with their professional mentors. See list on next two pages.

WHEN:

Friday, March 22

8:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. – Opening ceremonies, qualification matches

Saturday, March 23

8:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. – Qualification matches, awards
1:30 – 4:30 p.m. – Final Rounds
4:30 – 5:30 p.m. -Awards Ceremony

WHERE: Long Beach Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, Calif. 90802
Phone: 562-436-3636. Competition admission is free. Parking fees apply.

More information and a short video about FIRST are at http://www.usfirst.org/ . More information on NASA’s Robotics Alliance Project is at http://robotics.nasa.gov/ .

Los Angeles FIRST Robotics Competition List of Participating High Schools

* denotes schools sponsored by JPL

1. Mark Keppel High School, Alhambra
2. John Muir High School and Sahag Mesrob Armenian Christian School, Altadena*
3. Anaheim High School, Anaheim
4. Servite, Connelly and Rosary High Schools, Anaheim
5. Atascadero High School, Atascadero
6. St. John Bosco High School, Bellflower
7. Beverly Hills High School, Beverly Hills
8. John Burroughs High School, Burbank*
9. Canoga Park High School, Canoga Park
10. California Academy of Mathematics and Science, Carson
11. Culver City High School, Culver City*
12. Oxford Academy, Cypress
13. Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Eastvale
14. Central Union High School, El Centro
15. El Segundo High School, El Segundo
16. Sunny Hills School, Fullerton
17. Dos Pueblos High School, Goleta
18. Granada Hills Charter High School, Granada Hills
19. Centinela Valley Union High School, Hawthorne
20. Da Vinci Science, Hawthorne
21. Hope Chapel Academy High School, Hermosa Beach*
22. Marina High School, Huntington Beach
23. Huntington Park High School, Huntington Park
24. St. Mary’s Academy, Inglewood
25. Inglewood Charter High School, Inglewood
26. Crescenta Valley High School, La Crescenta*
27. Clark Magnet High School, La Crescenta*
28. La Puente High School, La Puente
29. Frazier Mountain High, Lebec*
30. Foshay Learning Center, Los Angeles
31. King Drew High School, Los Angeles
32. Marymount High School, Los Angeles
33. Windward Institute, Los Angeles
34. Sciences and Technology Academy and Academy of Science and Engineering, Los Angeles
35. Crenshaw High School, Los Angeles
36. Milken Community High School, Los Angeles
37. Loyola High School, Los Angeles
38. West Adams Preparatory Senior High School, Los Angeles
39. Helen Bernstein Complex, Los Angeles
40. Bishop Alemany High School, Mission Hills
41. Newbury Park High School, Newbury Park
42. Hart High School, Newhall*
43. North Hollywood High School, North Hollywood
44. Orcutt Academy High School, Orcutt
45. Mira Costa High School, Redondo Beach
46. Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Rolling Hills Estates
47. San Marino High School, San Marino*
48. Rolling Hills Preparatory School, San Pedro
49. Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana
50. Academy of the Canyons and West Ranch High School, Santa Clarita*
51. New Roads High School, Santa Monica*
52. Notre Dame High School, Sherman Oaks
53. South East High School, South Gate
54. Harvard-Westlake School, Studio City
55. Bridges Academy, Studio City*
56. South High School, Torrance
57. High Tech-LA High School, Van Nuys
58. Saint Bonaventure High School, Ventura
59. Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnet, Westchester
60. Phineas Banning High School, Wilmington
61. El Camino Real Charter High School, Woodland Hills
62. Maui High School, Kahului, Hawaii
63. Kealakehe High School, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
64. Baldwin High School, Wailuku, Hawaii

International schools:

65. Region Metropolitana, Santiago, Chile

JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.