UC Hosts FIRST Tech Challenge Championship Tournament

At the University of Cincinnati’s Tangeman University Center, weeks of design and construction will culminate in the Ohio FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Tech Challenge Championship Tournament, where 20 teams of high-school students and engineering and technical mentors will demonstrate their abilities in science, mathematics and technology. Teens from five states and Cincinnati-area schools have been tasked with the challenge and excitement of designing and building an original robot in the FIRST Tech Challenge. They will compete for honors and recognition that reward design excellence, competitive play, sportsmanship and high-impact partnerships between schools, businesses and communities.

UC’s hosting the FIRST robotics competitions is another step in focusing outreach efforts to encourage kids to enter the STEMM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, math and medicine).

“It is quite evident that Cincinnati in general and the University of Cincinnati in particular have become the center for robotics competition in Ohio,” says Tom Cruse, UC associate provost. "By hosting the BEST Robotics regional competition in October and now both the FIRST Lego League Robotics Regional Tournament as well as the FIRST Tech Challenge State Competition for high-school age students, we are positioned to be THE location where robotics events occur.”

Each team is composed of 10 or fewer high-school-aged students, plus professional mentors. Teams must determine their strategy and program, then build and test a robot using an innovative robotics platform. In the 2007 game, “Quad Quandary,” students’ robots place 3-inch PVC rings on movable single or paired goals, side goals or posts. Extra points are scored by moving single or paired goals into an alliance’s playing field quadrant. The fast-paced matches include a 20-second autonomous period (where the robot moves undirected), followed by two minutes of driver-controlled play.

Founded by inventor Dean Kamen, FIRST was created to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people, their schools and their communities. The FIRST Tech Challenge is an accessible, affordable robotics competition designed for high-school-aged students. Teams of up to 10 students work alongside mentors, applying real-world math and science concepts to solve the annual challenge. They compete and cooperate in alliances at high-energy regional tournaments that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration and the determination of students. Through their FIRST involvement, students discover the rewarding and engaging process of innovation and engineering.

During the 2007 season, approximately 800 FIRST Tech Challenge teams compete in events in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The FIRST Championship takes place April 17–19, 2008, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

“The goal of the FIRST Tech Challenge is to reach young people so they can discover the excitement and rewards of science, technology and engineering,” says FIRST founder Dean Kamen. “Working alongside engineers and other professionals, students experience the real-world application of science and math concepts. The hands-on problem solving required in the FIRST Tech Challenge develops valuable skills students will need as they progress toward higher education and eventually professional careers.”

“The FIRST Tech Challenge creates powerful relationships between kids and their mentors that help them develop into the engineers, scientists and other talented people we need in the future,” FIRST President Paul Gudonis says. “FIRST mentors are, in turn, rewarded with the enjoyment of watching their young team members learn and grow in leadership qualities, work ethics, teamwork, critical-thinking skills and self-confidence.”

The weekend’s Ohio FIRST Tech Challenge Championship Tournament is being sponsored by some of the most highly regarded organizations in the area, including the UC and Butler Technology and Career Development Schools. Sponsors provide resources including time and talent from professional mentors, services, equipment, financial contributions and/or volunteers.

“We are pleased to host this event and look forward to continued relationships with the FIRST Tech Challenge,” says UC’s Cruse. “It is our hope that these programs will encourage students to attend UC and become involved with the robotics programs in the College of Engineering. These events are part of a portfolio of STEMM-related outreach programs that UC has to offer for aspiring young scientists.”

“It is very exciting to bring this competition to the Cincinnati area,” says David Campbell, the event director. “We are very hopeful that area schools will begin to see the academic value of the FIRST robotics contests. This program immerses students into complex scenarios where they need to apply all of their academic skills to creatively solve problems. Then they add the excitement of head-to-head competition to test their solutions.”

Schedule for Saturday, Dec. 8, Tangeman University Center, Great Hall:

• 10 to 10:20 a.m. — Opening ceremonies and keynote
• 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. — Qualifying matches
• 4 to 5:30 p.m. — Finals round matches
• 5:30 p.m. — Awards and closing ceremonies

To ease the flow of traffic, participants and spectators are encouraged to park in the Woodside or Campus Green garages on Saturday, as the All-University Commencement is taking place the same day.

ABOUT FIRST

Inventor Dean Kamen founded

FIRST

(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H.,

FIRST

designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge and life skills, while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology and engineering. With the support of many of the world’s most well-known companies, the not-for-profit organization hosts the

FIRST

Robotics Competition and

FIRST

Tech Challenge for high-school students,

FIRST

LEGO League for children 9–14 years old, and Junior

FIRST

LEGO League for 6- to 9-year-olds. To learn more about

FIRST

, go to

www.usfirst.org

.

Read more about Sunday's FLL Regional Robotics Tournament.

About the University of Cincinnati
 
Ranked by the National Science Foundation among the top 25 public research universities in the United States, UC's faculty have distinguished themselves worldwide for their creative teaching and research. The University of Cincinnati serves a diverse enrollment of more than 36,500 students through a balance of educational excellence and real-world experience. Founded in 1819, UC is the largest employer in the Cincinnati region, with an economic impact of more than $3 billion.