12 October 2006

Volunteers needed for statewide robotics tournament
to be hosted by Longwood and Prince Edward schools

Volunteers are needed for a statewide robotics tournament that Longwood University and the Prince Edward County Public Schools are hosting in December.

Organizers of the VirginiaFIRST Vex Championship 2006, to be held Saturday, Dec. 9, at Prince Edward County Middle School, are looking for about 80 volunteers. No technical expertise is needed. Persons can register by visiting the web site http://registration.svrtc.org/.

The FIRST Vex Challenge (FVC) series, primarily for high school-age students, was piloted in 2005-06 with six regional tournaments throughout the country featuring 137 teams. Teams build a robot ahead of time (using the Vex Robotics Design System) that is no more than 18 inches wide, 18 inches long and 18 inches tall, which will be used to play several matches involving softballs and goals, with various challenges, throughout the day. Teams, allowed a maximum of 10 members, form “alliances” in which two teams compete against two teams.

This tournament series and similar programs for other age groups are sponsored by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a non-profit organization that provides athletics-like competition in science, math, engineering and technology for young people.

“Teams must determine their strategy and program, build, and test their robot,” says the FIRST web site. “Working through the engineering process brings the reality of science and technology to students on a more intimate, hands-on level while instilling teamwork mores.”

The Longwood-hosted event is one of 30 to 35 tournaments in the FIRST Vex Challenge series in the United States, Canada and Mexico from October 2006 through March 2007. Some four teams from the Longwood tournament will qualify for the world championship April 12-14, 2007 in Atlanta.

The tournament is being coordinated by the Longwood-affiliated Institute for Teaching Through Technology & Innovative Practices, based in South Boston. Contact Dr. Mano Talaiver, the Institute’s director, via e-mail (mano@ittip.us) for volunteering information. For more information about the FIRST Vex Challenge, contact Darlene Pantaleo, FVC affiliate partner for VirginiaFIRST, at (804) 745-2493 or vavex@virginiafirst.org.