Robotics Competition at Clemson to Draw 1,000 High-Schoolers

CLEMSON, SC – march 23, 2009 –  One thousand high school students from the United States and Brazil will descend on Clemson University’s Littlejohn Coliseum March 26-28 as part of the sixth annual FIRST Robotics Competition Palmetto Regional. It is a highly competitive and action-packed contest, described as a rock concert and sporting event for the mind rolled into one.

Competition is from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday and the public is invited to attend. Admission is free. No open-toe or -heel shoes will be allowed on the floor of Littlejohn Coliseum for safety reasons.

Competitors at last lear’s event control their robots on the course.

Forty-three teams and robots will take the field to compete in a game called “Lunacy” that aims to launch as many moon rocks as possible into opposing robots within a specified amount of time. High-speed collisions are predicted to be common. The teams received the same kit of parts and had six weeks to design and assemble their robots, which can be no heavier than 120 pounds.

It is the second year Clemson will host the event. This year’s teams are from nine states and Brazil.

“It is a very competitive, very diverse group coming this year to test their skills,” said event co-chairman Steve Melsheimer of the College of Engineering and Science at Clemson. “The action will not disappoint.”

Worldwide, more than 35,000 high school students participate on more than 1,500 teams in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands and England. The regional events will lead to an international championship competition April 16-18 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

For more information on the competition, go to the FIRST Web site at www.usfirst.org, FIRST Robotics Competition, or http://www.ces.clemson.edu/main/FRC/index.html. Live streaming video of the matches will be provided at http://www.clemson.edu/tlt/stream/frc/ during the Palmetto Regional.

Participating schools

Gravatai, R.S., Brazil, Heitor Villa Lobos Estate High School
Decatur, Ala., Decatur High School, Austin High School Robotic Coalition
Huntsville, Ala., Lee High School, New Century Technology High School
Madison, Ala., Bob Jones High School
Melbourne, Fla., Eau Gallie High School, Brevard Public Schools
Merritt Island, Fla., Brevard Public Schools, Merritt Island High School, Edgewood Jr Sr. High School, Jefferson Middle School, Merritt Island Christian School, Divine Mercy Catholic School & Home School
Tampa, Fla., Middleton Magnet High School
Titusville, Fla., Astronaut High School, Titusville High School
Atlanta, Ga., Kell High School, The Westminster Schools-High School
Cumming, Ga., Forsyth Alliance Robotics Team
Norcross, Ga., ITT Technical Institute, Norcross High School, Gwinnett County Public Schools
Suwanee, Ga., Peachtree Ridge High School
Lees Summit, Mo., Lee’s Summit High School
Charlotte , N.C., Olympic High School
Durham, N.C, North Carolina High School of Science and Mathematics
Fayetteville, N.C, Westover High School
Hendersonville, N.C, Henderson County Public Schools Robotics Team
Montvale, N.J., Pascack Valley Regional High School District
Aiken, Aiken County Public Schools
Beaufort, Arts Communication and Technology High School, Beaufort High School, Beaufort County School District
Blythewood, Blythewood High School
Columbia, Richland County School District 1, Columbia High School
Columbia, School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties, Irmo, Dutch Fork, Chapin
Columbia, Richland County School District 1
Columbia, The Challenger Learning Center of Richland County School District 1, ITT Technical Institute, W. J. Keenan High School
Conway, Academy for Technology and Academics High School
Easley, School District of Pickens County
Florence, Florence Darlington Technical College, Florence School District 1
Fort Mill, Fort Mill High School
Greenville, Greenville Technical Charter High School, Wade Hampton High School, J.L. Mann High School, Southside High School
Greenwood, Piedmont Technical College, Greenwood Robotics Interactive Partners
Lugoff, Lugoff-Elgin High School
Marion, Marion County Technical Education Center
Mauldin, Mauldin High School, Greenville County schools
Myrtle Beach, Academy of Arts, Science & Technology
North Charleston, Trident Technical College, Summerville High School, Fort Dorchester High School, Woodland High School, Northside Christian School High School
Rock Hill, Rock Hill District 3 High Schools
Seneca, School District of Oconee County, F.P Hamilton Career Center, Seneca High School, Walhalla High School, West-Oak High School, Tamassee-Salem High School
York, Floyd D. Johnson Technology Center, York Comprehensive High School
Knoxville, Tenn., Webb School of Knoxville
Delbarton, W.Va., West Virginia Department of Career and Technical Education, Mingo Career and Technical Center, Mingo County Schools
Logan, W.Va., Ralph R Willis Career-Technical Center, WV Department of Adult-Technical Programs, Logan County Schools
Morgantown, W.Va., West Virginia High Tech Consortium, Mon County Board of Education