GRC NEWS RELEASE 04-001



04-001
For Release: January 9, 2004

Sallie A. Keith
Media Relations Office
216-433-5795
sallie.a.keith@nasa.gov

LOCAL STUDENTS RECEIVE FIRST IMPRESSION AS ROBOTICS COMPETITION KICKS 
OFF 

Excitement is mounting for high school students who have their sights 
set on competing in the third annual FIRST ( For Inspiration and 
Recognition of Science and Technology) Buckeye Regional Robotics 
Competition. Veteran and rookie teams such as East Technical High 
School, Max S. Hayes Vocational and Beachwood High School will gather 
on Saturday, January 10, at the Cuyahoga Community College's Unified 
Technologies Center at 2415 Woodland Avenue, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 
p.m., for the kickoff workshop.



During the event, the details of this year's competition rules, goals 
and playing field will be revealed to students as NASA TV simulcasts 
the national kickoff event from FIRST's headquarters in Manchester, 
NH from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Those unable to attend the event can view 
the kickoff via NASA Web cast or broadcast.



The Web cast will be available at 
http://robotics.nasa.gov/events/webcasts/kickoff.htm NASA TV is 
broadcast on AMC-9, transponder 9C, C-Band, located at 85 degrees 
west longitude. The frequency is 3880.0 MHz. Polarization is vertical 
and audio is monaural at 6.8 MHz.



Following the broadcast, students will also be able to participate in 
an open forum allowing them to plan, strategize and ask questions of 
veterans and volunteers.



Having learned about this year's challenge and received their kit of 
parts, students and their advisors will have six weeks to research, 
design, construct and test their championship robot. Working side by 
side with professional engineers and technicians the teams will get a 
glimpse of what engineering is all about. This unique hands-on 
experience provides an opportunity for students to gain knowledge of 
leadership, time management, task sequencing, physics, computers and 
teamwork.



NASA's Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, awarded scholarships to 11 
high school teams to compete in the robotics competition. The 
scholarships covered the $5,000 entry fee to compete in the third 
annual FIRST Buckeye Regional competition. The 2004 FIRST Buckeye 
Regional, sponsored by Glenn and various local corporate and academic 
organizations, will take place March 25-27 at the Cleveland State 
University Convocation Center.



A list of the teams from Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, New York, 
Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia and Canada who will be competing 
in the FIRST Buckeye Regional Robotics Competition and more 
information on the event can be found at http://www.firstbuckeye.org



FIRST is a nonprofit organization founded to interest and inspire 
students in mathematics, science and technology. FIRST represents a 
cooperative effort among students, teachers, communities, 
corporations and government agencies. For additional information 
about FIRST, go to http://www.usfirst.org



For more information about other NASA education programs on the 
Internet, visit http://education.nasa.gov



Note to Editors/News Directors:



Media representatives are invited to attend the start of this exciting 
engineering journey. By meeting some of the teams involved in the 
competition as they begin their planning you can follow the progress 
students make through construction and competition.



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