Students from around the Washington Metropolitan area will go
head-to-head in a fast-paced robot competition this Saturday, May 3,
2003 at the University of Maryland’s Ritchie Coliseum. The event is
designed to engage students in learning the practical applications of
science, technology, engineering and math through robot building and
programming.

Middle and high school students from across the region have spent the
past six weeks designing, building and programming their robots to
compete in the D.C. Regional Botball Tournament. The robots compete
on a 4-foot by 8-foot game board and score points by moving colored
balls into scoring position. Each school’s team of two robots must
turn themselves on and off, react to their opponent and maneuver on
the game board without the use of remote controls.

The total number of teams this year is 49 with 20 from Virginia, 24
from Maryland, and five from Washington DC. Included in this years
contest is the Model Secondary School for the Deaf. This year’s
competition will utilize a variety of motion, infrared, and vision
sensors in the robot designs.

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center is a major sponsor of the event
with funding going to nearly 20 teams and to support the over all
event. In addition, a number of GSFC civil servants and contractors
are mentors to the teams or judges at the competition while others
will be supporting NASA display booths at the event.

“In the six years this event has been going on, we have NEVER turned
a team away because they couldn’t raise the funds” said NASA’s Jim
Green. “If the kids are motivated to have a team, we find a way to
fund them! No one is left behind.”

Green points out that a large number of Goddard employees devote
their extra time to work with these kids as mentors, or judges, or
manning the booths and that level of participation is something he is
extremely proud of.

Green says the kids that participate in this contest are highly
gifted and interested in computer engineering. “We want them as
summer students, we want them to come and work at GSFC when they
finish. They are our future leaders.”

The DC Regional Botball Tournament begins with registration/practice
time beginning at 8 a.m. The seeding round activity will take place
at 10 a.m. and double elimination competition will start at 1:30 p.m.
The awards ceremony is scheduled for 5 p.m.

The tournament is open to the news media. The event is also open to
the public and there is no admission charge. For more information on
the event, news media can call Jim Green at 301/286-7354 or reach him
by email at James.L.Green@nasa.gov

Botball is presented nationwide by the KISS Institute for Practical
Robotics. KISS Institute, founded in Reston, Va., is dedicated to
linking people and technology through education, outreach and
research.

For more information on Botball, visit www.botball.org or call 405/579-4609.