Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Thursday, January 4, 2018
(UNDATED) - Students from around Indiana and the world will watch a live-feed from FIRST® Robotics’ headquarters in Manchester New Hampshire to find out the goal of this season’s competition.
Each year a new game is introduced and teams have six weeks to design and build a robot, which will compete at local, regional and national events. There are four kickoff events in Indiana where high school teams will participate.
At kickoff this Saturday, teams will be shown the FIRST Power-Up℠ game field and challenge details for the first time, and will receive a Kit of Parts made up of motors, batteries, control system components, construction materials, and a mix of additional automation components with limited instructions. From this assortment of materials, teams have six weeks to build a robot capable of completing the assigned task.
IndianaFIRST is excited to have two new Kickoff locations for the 2018 season. "Hosting a Kickoff event at the University of Indianapolis was a natural fit", explained Renee Becker-Blau, Executive Director of IndianaFIRST. "It gives IndianaFIRST a chance to expand the size of our kickoff event and it gives our students an opportunity to visit a university campus."
Chris Osborne, the IndianaFIRST Program Director, is thrilled to be attending the Bloomington High School South Kickoff, "This event will make a big difference to the teams located between Columbus, Bloomington and Evansville. We see this as a first step in building a strong community of teams in Southern Indiana."
Hosting the 2018 FIRST Robotics Competition Kickoff in two new venues wouldn't have been possible with out support from the University of Indianapolis, the R.B. Annis School of Engineering, and FRC Team 1529 in addition to support from Bloomington High School South and FRC Team 3494.
Purdue FIRST Programs and FRC 3936 will continue to support Northern and Central Indiana teams by hosting local Kickoff events on campus at Purdue University and in Michigan City at the Mullen Center.
Kickoff marks the beginning of the design and build season. Teams have the opportunity to meet at "local" Kickoffs to compare notes, get ideas, make friends, find mentoring teams, learn the game, pick up the Kickoff Kit from the Kit of Parts, and get geared up for the exciting competition season.
Kickoff date and time:
Saturday, January 6, 2018
The kickoff for FIRST® Power-Up will be hosted at 4 locations in Indiana:
Michigan City Kickoff in Michigan City, Indiana, hosted by FRC 3936 Robo Blitz - Mullen Center - 100 Manny Court - Michigan City, IN 46360
Purdue University Kickoff in West Lafayette, Indiana, hosted by Purdue FIRST Programs - Purdue University - Wilmeth Active Learning Center - Memorial Mall - West Lafayette, IN 47907
University of Indianapolis Kickoff in Indianapolis, Indiana, hosted by the R.B. Annis School of Engineering & FRC 1529 CyberCards - University of Indianapolis - Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Building (Ruth Lilly Performance Hall) - 1400 E. Hanna Ave - Indianapolis, IN. 46227
Bloomington High School South Kickoff in Bloomington, Indiana, hosted by FRC 3494 The Quadrangles - Bloomington High School South - 1965 South Walnut Street - Bloomington, IN 47401
Teaser Video for this competition:
This competition is part of the larger organization, FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), and their FIRST® Robotics Competition for high school students. Over 3500 teams and 78000 students and professional mentors across the world (including places like Canada, Mexico, China, Israel, and Australia), will be participating in District, Regional, and State-level events in hopes of qualifying for the 2018 FIRST World Championship in Detroit, MI. and Houston, TX.
FIRST® was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, NH, the 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills.
FIRST® robotics competition combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, robotics teams of 25 students or more are challenged to raise funds, design a team "brand," hone teamwork skills, and build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. These competitions create "real-world engineering" experiences for all participating students.
In addition to teacher mentors, volunteer professional mentors lend their time and expertise to help guide the work and development by each FIRST robotics team. For more information about this event, or FIRST Robotics, please contact: Renee Becker-Blau, IndianaFIRST Executive Director, at 414 704-1415. Additional information is also available at the website: http://www.indianafirst.org/ or http://www.firstinspires.org/.
About FIRST®
Accomplished 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 support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $25 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST Robotics Competition for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST Tech Challenge for Grades 7-12; FIRST LEGO League for Grades 4-8; and FIRST LEGO League Jr. for Grades K-3. Gracious Professionalism is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to http://www.firstinspires.org/.
About IndianaFIRST
IndianaFIRST is an organization dedicated to growing FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics programs in the state of Indiana. FIRST is a multinational non-profit organization that aspires to transform our culture, making science, math, engineering, and technology as cool for kids as sports are today. Founded in the fall of 2001 as the Indiana-based affiliate of FIRST, IndianaFIRST brings FIRST programming to students in grades K-12, teaching them hands-on skills in engineering, science, and technology that they can relate back to their class work. Kids compete against other kids in district, state, and world championship competitions in what is frequently called "The Super Bowl of Smarts."
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