Category: Education and Outreach

Event Format: Conference

Date: 22-23 Mar 2013

Location: Long Beach Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802, US

WHAT: Sixty-five national and international high school teams face off in the 22nd season of the Los Angeles regional FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition. This year's theme is "Ultimate Ascent."

The 2013 challenge is played between two alliances of three teams, each pitting robot against robot. Each alliance tries to score as many flying discs in its goals as possible during the two-minute-and-15-second match. Discs that hit higher goals score more team points, and bonus points are awarded if robots can climb a 10-foot- high steel pyramid at the end of the match.

Each team was given a kit containing motors, batteries, a control system, a PC and automation components, but no instruction manual. The students are given six weeks to turn the parts into a working robot that is programmed, tested and ready for competition. They tackle real-world engineering obstacles and solve problems with the help of engineers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., aerospace and other companies and higher-education institutions. JPL is sponsoring 12 robotics teams from Southern California.

The participants are among more than 304,000 students from around the world vying to compete in the FIRST Championship to be held April 24-27 in St. Louis, Mo.

WHO: More than 1,500 students from Southern California, Hawaii and Chile, with their professional mentors. See list on next two pages.

WHEN:

Friday, March 22

8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. - Opening ceremonies, qualification matches

Saturday, March 23

8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. - Qualification matches, awards
1:30 - 4:30 p.m. - Final Rounds
4:30 - 5:30 p.m. -Awards Ceremony

WHERE: Long Beach Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, Calif. 90802 Phone: 562-436-3636. Competition admission is free. Parking fees apply.

More information and a short video about FIRST are at http://www.usfirst.org/ . More information on NASA's Robotics Alliance Project is at http://robotics.nasa.gov/ .

Web Site Address: http://www.usfirst.org

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