DATE: December 15, 2008

CONTACT: Steve Melsheimer, 864-654-4973
ssmls@clemson.edu

WRITER: Susan Polowczuk, 864-656-2063
spolowc@clemson.edu

FIRST Robotics Competition returns to Clemson

CLEMSON — Clemson University will host the sixth annual FIRST Robotics Competition Palmetto Regional March 26-28 at Littlejohn Coliseum. It is the second year Clemson hosts the event that attracts up to 1,000 high school students who vie for top honors in a competitive contest that is described as a rock concert and sporting event rolled into one.

Teams already are signing up, and this year’s competition will feature an international squad from Brazil. Teams from North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, West Virginia, Alabama, New Jersey and Missouri also will compete.

"The College of Engineering and Science at Clemson is delighted to host this event once again,” said Dean Esin Gulari. “The dedication, enthusiasm and fun that the participants have in the name of engineering and science is truly inspirational.”

Teams will receive their marching orders for the competition at a kickoff event at the Madren Center Jan. 3. Kits are handed out with a specific assignment to build a robot no heavier than 120 pounds that can complete a task in a certain amount of time. The teams have six weeks to assemble their robots and ship them back to FIRST for the regional competition. Teams are judged not only on point accumulation, but also on design, team spirit, professionalism and perseverance.

Regional events lead to an international competition April 16-18 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. More than 35,000 high school students participate on more than 1,600 teams in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands and England.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen, developer of the first portable insulin pump and the first portable kidney dialysis machine, to “create a world where science and technology are celebrated, where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes.”

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For more information on the competition, go to the FIRST website at: www.usfirst.org, FIRST Robotics Competition or http://www.ces.clemson.edu/main/FRC/index.html

Clemson is a nationally recognized research university where approximately 5,500 students are enrolled in engineering and science undergraduate and graduate courses. There are 350 faculty members in the College of Engineering and Science. Connect to http://www.clemson.edu/ces for more information.