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Over 1,500 high school students from Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia will compete in the 16th annual Buckeye Regional FIRST Robotics Competition Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1, from 8 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center, 2000 Prospect Ave.
Practice matches will be held Thursday, March 30, from noon to 6:30 p.m. Admission to the competition and practice games is free and open to the public.
Media are invited to attend and interview the inventors. Upon arrival, stop by the media table to pick up a media badge for access to the playing field. For media inquiries or to request high-resolution images, please contact: jeannette.p.owens@nasa.gov or 216-433-2990.
Before going into the ring to compete with some of the finest student-built robots, the young inventors build and program robots by making parts, pieces, gears, circuits and a smart phone, which all work together to perform a simple task — in this case, collecting balls, dropping them into scoring zones and maneuvering robots aboard an airship.
The teams are evaluated based on robot performance, friendly competition and sportsmanship.
“Winning is not really the point,” said Stephanie Brown-Houston, education program specialist at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. “The most important goal is for students to increase their understanding of science and technology, learn new practical and work-related skills, increase understanding of teamwork and manage a project from beginning to end.”
Buckeye Regional contestants compete for awards, a spot at the FIRST Championship held in St. Louis, Missouri, Wednesday, April 26 thru Saturday, April 29 and the eligibility to apply for nearly $22 million in scholarships from more than 200 colleges and universities.
NASA’s Robotics Alliance Project is one of the largest sponsors of the FIRST Robotics Competition and a strategic partner. The Glenn Research Center is the largest sponsor of the Buckeye Regional FIRST Robotics Competition. Glenn’s scientists and engineers lend their time and talents to guide and mentor local high school teams. Some of the other sponsors include Parker Hannifin, Rockwell Automation, the Callahan Foundation, Cleveland State University and Ohio Aerospace Institute.
FIRST or For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology was founded by Dean Kamen to inspire young people’s interest in science and technology.
For more information about FIRST Robotics Competition, visit:
http://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc
For more information about NASA Robotics Alliance Project, visit:
To learn more about NASA Glenn, visit:
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Jeannette Owens
NASA Glenn Research Center
216-433-2990
jeannette.p.owens@nasa.gov
Katherine Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1288
katherine.m.brown@nasa.gov
William Jeffs
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
william.p.jeffs@nasa.gov