FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Casey Quinlan
Communications Chair, Greater Richmond Technology Council
Principal, Mighty Casey Media
casey@mightycasey.com
(804) 467-5716
MARCH 2, 2007BREAKFAST
The Greater Richmond Technology Council (GRTC) watched high school teams go head-to-head in the annual F.I.R.S.T. (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition at VCU’s Siegel Center on Friday, March 2, 2007, during the monthly GRTC Good Morning Technology breakfast. The 8th Annual Richmond Regional F.I.R.S.T. Competition, an event that draws student competitors from over 60 schools in seven states, the District of Columbia and Canada, is also an annual event for the GRTC – many of its members are sponsors of F.I.R.S.T teams. GRTC members and their guests had the chance to observe the action from the competition floor, where robots are put through their paces in a series of challenging matches, or from the pits, where students work feverishly to fine-tune their machines before and during the competition.
This year’s game is “Rack and Roll”, played by two alliances, Red and Blue, each consisting of three teams. The Alliance teams will operate their robots from the end of the playing field, where their robots will work to pick up inflated pool float rings and stack them on a rack in the center of the field. The scoring rack has three eight-spoke “spiders” hung by chains horizontally within the rack – the spiders will move if impacted by a robot, adding to the challenge that the robots face when they try to hang a float ring on a spider spoke. Teams will score points for the number of rings they place in rows on the spiders in the heated 3D robot tic-tac-toe battle, and they will lose points if the opposing team hangs a black “spoiler” ring on top of their colored “keeper” and “ringer” rings. The competition will be fierce and frenzied, with the teams working out engineering solutions on the fly to make their robots effective “Rack and Roll” players.
Founded by inventor Dean Kamen, New
Hampshire-based F.I.R.S.T. works to inspire an appreciation of science
and technology in young people, their schools and their communities.
F.I.R.S.T. designs accessible, innovative programs to build
self-confidence, knowledge and life skills while motivating young people
to pursue opportunities in science, technology and engineering. The
Richmond Regional competition, hosted in partnership with NASA Langley
and VCU School of Engineering, showcases the scientific abilities and
ambitions of high school students from several states, and gives
engineering schools and technology companies a first look at the rising
crop of innovators interested in the power of science and technology.
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