FIRST Robotics Competition

I attended the 5th Annual "First Tech Challenge" Robotics Competition at New England Institute of Technology (NEIT) this past Saturday, February 5th.  RIMES was one of the event sponsors. It was a GREAT day in which 29 teams of approximately 215 high school students in the state competed against each other. It was wonderful to see so many young people excited about a competition that centered around Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).  The event was also attended by RI Congressman Jim Langevin and RI Education Commissioner Deborah Gist.    

Providence Journal - RI Students Take Part in Robotics Competition
WPRI Eyewitness News (Channel 12) - Students Test Out Robots in Warwick

The students had to design, build, and program a robot that could compete on a small playing field by moving plastic batons into goals both autonomously and by remote control.  Another focus of the competition was teamwork.  Students had to partner with another robotics team to complete some of the tasks during the competition.

Most of the participants expressed interest in continuing their educational career goals in a STEM field as a result of what they learned during the competition.  With the skills gap facing the manufacturing sector, this proved to be a great way to introduce future job seekers to STEM fields.

To be an event sponsor or for information on next year’s competition please contact Erin Flynn, NEIT Manager of Admissions Outreach and Events, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .