DATE: January 03, 2008

CONTACT: Steve Melsheimer, (864) 656-4440
ssmls@clemson.edu

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


Robotics teams to participate in competition kickoff

ATTENTION: South Carolina and North Carolina high schools are participating

CLEMSON — Teams participating in the fifth annual FIRST Robotics Competition Palmetto Regional at Clemson University receive their marching orders for the competition at a kickoff event from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, at the Madren Center BellSouth Auditorium. More than 100 students and representatives from across the state and region are expected to attend.

A robot from a previous competition.A live Web cast from FIRST headquarters in New Hampshire will announce this year’s game and students will act out the game using robots. Kits with parts will be handed out with the specific assignment to build a robot no heavier than 120 pounds that can complete a task in a specified amount of time. The teams have six weeks to design and assemble their robots and ship them back to FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) for the regional competition to be held March 28-29 at Littlejohn Coliseum.

It is the first time Clemson will host the event that attracts up to 1,000 local and regional high school students who vie for top honors in a highly competitive and action-packed contest, described as a rock concert and sporting event “for the mind” rolled into one.

More than 32,000 high school students participate on 1,300 teams in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands and England. The regional events will lead to an international championship competition April 17-19 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

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

END

A team celebrates at an earlier robotics competition.Editor’s note: Participating teams in the kickoff from South Carolina include: Aiken County Public Schools; Arts Communication and Technology High School in Beaufort; Beaufort High School, Beaufort County School District; Blythewood High School; Clover School District; School District Five of Lexington and Richland counties, Irmo, Dutch Fork, Chapin, The Challenger Learning Center of Richland County School District One, W.J. Keenan High School, Richland County School District One in Columbia and Columbia High School; Academy for Technology and Academics High School in Conway; Florence School District One; Fort Mill High School; Christ Church Episcopal, J.L. Mann, Southside, Mauldin High School in Greenville County; Greenwood County; Hilton Head High School; Hilton Head Preparatory High School;  Lugoff-Elgin High School; Marion County Technical Education Center; Academy of Arts, Science & Technology in Myrtle Beach; Pendleton High School; Rock Hill District 3 High Schools; and School District of Oconee County, F.P Hamilton Career Center, Seneca High School, Walhalla High School, West-Oak High School, Tamassee-Salem High School in Oconee County; and York Comprehensive High School.

Participating teams in the kickoff from North Carolina include: Henderson County Public Schools Robotics Team; The Early College at Guilford in Greensboro; Olympic High School in Charlotte; Davidson County Academy of Pre-engineering in Lexington; Westover High School in Fayetteville; Reidsville High School; and Southwest Guilford High School in High Point.