About the FIRST Tech Challenge

• Students grades 9-12
• Design, build and program robots
• Apply real-world math, science and engineering concepts
• Develop problem-solving, organizational and team-building skills
• Compete in tournament competitions
• Sports-like events with judges and awards
• Concrete High School Team: "Caution: Static Discharge"

Concrete High School's FIRST Robotics Team

Concrete High School's FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics Team received support from Janicki Industries this year. FIRST – For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology – is a nonprofit organization with a goal of encouraging student interest in science, technology, engineering and math.

In the Tech Challenge, teams use a modular robotic platform to conceive, build and compete in a FIRST-designed game. This year's competition was a modified game of soccer dubbed "Breakaway." The field was setup into three zones separated by a series of ramps and tunnels. The teams designed their robots based on their competition strategy.

Teams could score points in three ways. One point was awarded for propelling a soccer ball into the opposing team's goal. Two points were awarded if the robot was able to elevate itself off the ground by hanging from a bar in the center of the arena. Teams could work together to score three points by elevating both themselves and another robot. The field included large speed bumps, tunnels which added engineering difficulty to the robot design and programming.

During the game, alliances are formed as teams work together to win individual events. Working together with your competition fits together with the FIRST spirit of "gracious professionalism." The teams are encouraged to be competitive, but at the same time to treat one another with respect.

High school teachers, students and mentors all participate as a group, working after school and on weekends. Janicki Industries' engineer James Diedesch served as a mentor for the Concrete team. According to James, "Students involved in FIRST will have a leg up on their peers as they transition into collegiate level technology competitions."

Click here to read a Scientific American about the robotics Tech Challenge: story http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=first-ftc-robot-competition&SID Click here to go to the FIRST website http://www.usfirst.org/