Next week, the finalists from the FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition Dallas Regional will travel to St. Louis, Missouri to participate in the FIRST ® Championship, to be held April 27-30.
Earlier in the month, the Dallas Convention center hosted the Dallas Regional. During the weekend competition, high school teams from Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Mexico participated, including students from Jack E. Singley Academy in Irving (visit the JESA Robotics Club Facebook page for photos). The teams competed for honors and recognition rewarding design excellence, competitive play, sportsmanship, and high-impact partnerships between schools, businesses, and communities.
With help from professional mentors, each of the student teams was challenged to design and build a robot over a period of six weeks that solved a problem, using a kit of parts and a standard set of rules. During the competition, two alliances of three teams competed in “LOGO MOTION ™”, a game where the teams’ robots “battled”, on a 27-by-54 foot field, to hang the most shapes on poles. Teams that were able to form the FIRST ® logo received bonus points.
It was an exciting weekend for all. Mexican team Panteras (team #2283) was declared the recipient of the Regional Chairman’s Award, the highest award of the competition, while the Liberal Arts & Science Academy (team #418) of Austin, earned the Engineering Inspiration Award, the second highest award of the competition. The teams from Greenville High School (team #148), Jesuit College Preparatory High School (team #2848) and Longview Global High School (team #3037) emerged as the Dallas Regional Finalists.
FIRST® was founded by Dean Kamen, an inventor, entrepreneur and advocate for science and technology. Kamen began the organization with a goal of inspiring the love of science and technology in young people. For more information about the organization visit www.usfirst.org.
Photo - FIRST Robot Mascot (by H. Mckinley)
