LAS VEGAS - March 28, 2009 - This weekend at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center, 48 robots designed and built by more than 1,000 high school students from across the nation competed in the annual FIRST Robotics Competition - slipping and sliding around a low-friction field to rack up points and earn nationwide bragging rights.
Hosted by the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering at UNLV, the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Las Vegas Regional combines elements of sport with science and technology in a high-energy, team-driven contest. The competition, now in its fifth year at UNLV, presents a new challenge each time around (this year it's a lunar theme), but the mission holds true: to prove to high school students that science and engineering can be as exciting as sports and entertainment and to inspire them to pursue careers in these high-need fields.
"Even in today's economy, there's a critical need to attract and educate future engineers if we're to address both the current professional shortage and the emerging job market in sustainable and renewable technologies," said Eric Sandgren, dean of UNLV's College of Engineering. "FIRST is not only an ideal way for students to learn real world engineering skills; it's also a great platform to introduce new students to the field and show them that careers in engineering can be both rewarding and within their reach."
FIRST challenges students, with the help of university and engineering industry mentors, to design and build unique robots from an identical kit of parts to participate in rigorous two-day events - in six weeks and without instructions. In addition to building their bots, the students engage in computer animation, web site design and marketing and fundraising activities.
When UNLV was initially awarded a FIRST regional in 2005, only three local high school teams competed. Now in its fifth year, the competition boasts 14 Clark County School District high schools with close to 40 schools from across the nation.
Recent studies suggest that FIRST is much more than just a spirited competition - it is attracting students to engineering, and engineering students to UNLV. For example:
o At least 20 former FIRST participants are currently enrolled at UNLV
o Nearly 90 percent of FIRST alumni attend college, much higher than the 65 percent national average of high school graduates
o More than 40 percent of FIRST alumni report to have selected engineering as their major in college and are four times as likely as their peers to pursue a career in engineering
At UNLV, FIRST is just one part of a dedicated recruitment endeavor that has seen undergraduate enrollment in engineering jump from 1,245 students to 1,510 students since 2004, and enrollment in engineering courses rise from 3,824 to 4,513 over the same period.
The theme of this year's event was "Lunacy," during which two teams of three robots raced around a low-friction 54' by 27' field to collect and score variable point "Orbit Balls" in trailers attached to opposing teams' robots. Human players positioned around the perimeter could also score by tossing balls into robot payload trailers. The more points, or Orbit Balls, in the opponent's trailer determined the winners.
More information on FIRST, including a complete game description, can be found online at www.usfirst.org.
