Student teams face off against each other during the annual FIRST Tech Challenge robotics competition at the University of Mississippi. The 2020 competition is set for Feb. 28-29, with Saturday’s rounds open to the public 10 a.m.-5 p.m. in Tad Smith Coliseum. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services
OXFORD. Miss. – Middle and high school students from across the state will compete in Mississippi’s eighth annual FIRST Tech Challenge robotics competition this weekend at the University of Mississippi.
Hosted by the UM Center for Mathematics and Science Education, judging begins at 3:30 p.m. Friday (Feb. 28) in the Jackson Avenue Center. Public events begin at 10 a.m. Saturday (Feb. 29) in Tad Smith Coliseum, and the competition runs through 5 p.m. Admission is free.
“Recent studies have shown a concern in the continual decline in America’s science and engineering workforce,” said Mannie Lowe, the center’s FIRST program manager. “Through this competition, we’re trying to inspire the next generation of engineers that will do the important work of meeting our nation’s needs in filling careers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.”
Two dozen teams of students, ranging from seventh to 12th grade, will pilot their robots with hopes of qualifying for FIRST’s World Championship competition in Houston, Texas, in April. This year’s game is dubbed SKYSTONE, presented by Qualcomm, a challenge where robots are programmed to build skyscrapers of block-shaped “stones” onto a foundation and to cap their skyscraper with their team-designed capstone.
“Seeing the students excel in using a bunch of metal and plastic pieces – motors, controllers, servos, framing – and building robots that drive, score and work well together is truly inspirational,” Lowe said.
The For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, or FIRST, nonprofit organization was founded 28 years ago by inventor Dean Kaman as a way to build interest in STEM fields.
To qualify for the Mississippi championships, teams had to succeed at one of seven qualifiers held throughout the state, beginning in November. A certain number of winning teams at the state level qualify to attend the World Championship.
For the first 30 seconds of each round in the FIRST Tech Challenge robotics competition, the robots operate autonomously, then they are operated by the students using handheld controllers for the final two minutes. The 2020 competition is set for Feb. 28-29 in Tad Smith Coliseum. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services
Teams are judged on several criteria, including robot design, innovation, community outreach, engineering support and gracious professionalism.
Individual teams include up to 15 students, and any organization – not just schools –can form a team. Students are guided by teachers, coaches, mentors and community members. Teams must design and build their own robots, keep an engineering notebook and do outreach to promote STEM careers.
“Mississippi is home to the 2017 world champion team, Wait For It …, from Pearl,” Lowe said. “They have won numerous awards at the national and regional level.
“Other teams have won regional contests, including Techno Warriors Advanced from Brandon and Blue Crew from Summit.”
During the competition, two teams of students face off against each other. This allows teams to learn how to work with other teams and enjoy healthy competition at the same time.
Each match plays for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. For the first 30 seconds, the robots operate autonomously, then they are operated by the students through handheld controllers for the final two minutes.
The robots can be built out of virtually any material as long as teams follow set regulations. In the past, some teams have built their robots out of PVC pipe, wood and aluminum. However, the competition is about more than just robots.
“The fun in my job is watching and working with the kids,” Lowe said. “When you see their ‘aha!’ light come on, it is amazing. It’s the realization that they can do this. They can build, they can program, they can design.
“Once they realize that, the world is theirs. They can do whatever they want.”
More than 6,000 teams participate worldwide, and the program has grown tremendously in Mississippi, where only four teams took part in the challenge nine years ago.
“FIRST events are part-rock concert due to music playing during matches, part-NASCAR race because of the sponsor logos and team numbers on the side of each robot, and part-chess tournament, due to each team’s different strategy,” Lowe said. “The students get to celebrate their accomplishments of completing a challenge, whether they win or lose on the field.”
For more information about the Center for Mathematics and Science Education and its programs, visit http://cmse.olemiss.edu/.