Over 1,500 high school students from across Ohio and the U.S. will compete in the 13th annual Buckeye Regional FIRST Robotics Competition. Admission is free and open to the public.
The event runs Thursday through Saturday, March 20-22, at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center, 2000 Prospect Ave., in Cleveland. Practice rounds will be held March 20 from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Contest days are Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
FIRST, or For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, designs accessible, innovative programs that build not only science and technology skills and interests, but also self-confidence, leadership and life skills.
FIRST Robotics Competition, the varsity sport for the mind, is an international high school tournament that combines the excitement of sport with real world engineering. Under strict rules, limited resources and time limits, teams of 25 students or more are challenged to raise funds, design a team “brand,” practice teamwork skills, and build and program a robot in six weeks to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors.
Team members compete for awards and a place in the FIRST championship held in St. Louis, Mo. April 23-26.
This year, student teams built robots weighing up to 120 pounds that will compete in a game called Aerial Assist. The game is played by two competing groups of three robots each on a flat 25-by-54-foot field, straddled by a truss suspended just over five feet above the floor. The objective is to score as many balls in goals as possible during a two-minute and 30-second match. The more groups score their ball in their goals, and the more they work together to do it, the more points their group receives.
Thirty-one teams will represent schools and community organizations in Ohio and 22 out-of-state teams will represent California, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
“The FIRST Robotics Competition is packed with action, fun and excitement,” said Stephanie Brown-Houston, education specialist and project manager supporting the Educational Programs Office at NASA’s Glenn Research Center. “The students are smart and nice, and I can’t wait to see their weeks work of intense preparation and the thrilling robot matches.”
NASA Glenn Research Center is the largest sponsor of the Buckeye Regional FIRST Robotics Competition. Glenn engineers and scientists serve as technical advisors to many of the teams and mentors to the students.
Media can preview the competition during robot unloading; event set up; and practice rounds on Thursday, March 20 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., by sending an email tojeannette.p.owens@nasa.gov.
Media representatives attending the competition on March 21-22 should stop by NASA’s media table to register for a badge and entry to the Pit area where competitors work on their robots. For media questions, contact Jeannette Owens at 216-433-2990 or send an email to: jeannette.p.owens@nasa.gov
For more information about the FIRST Robotics Competition, visit:
http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc
To learn more about the Buckeye Regional FIRST Robotics Competition, visit:
To view the game animation, Aerial Assist, visit:
http://www.oai.org/firstbuckeye/game.html
For additional information about NASA’s educational programs, visit:
