College of Engineering & Science hosts FIRST Robotics Kickoff

College of Engineering & Science hosts FIRST Robotics Kickoff

More than 200 high school students attended the FIRST Robotics Competition Kickoff at University of Detroit Mercy, Jan. 5.

Students gathered to watch a broadcast explaining this year’s challenge, one of 146 kickoffs worldwide.

The FIRST Robotics competition has strict rules, limited resources and an intense six-week time limit during which teams of students are challenged to raise funds and design and build industrial-size robots to compete in difficult field games.

College of Engineering & Science Director of Pre-College Programs Norman Bent distributed robot construction build-kits to new student teams in the Engineering Building High Bay, while other teams held strategy meetings in various classrooms. University of Detroit Mercy students demonstrated robotic projects they developed during the school year as a source of inspiration.

“We are excited to host this event and obviously this is a big one for us,” Bent said. “This is the first of many (events) for years to come.”

FIRST has been inspiring young people since 1992 in the high-school gyms of New Hampshire. FIRST Robotics Competition is one of four annual programs they administer that reach over 400,000 youth annually.

Video produced by College of Engineering & Science Web, Social Media & Technical Specialist Jonathan Rhodes.