FIRST Robotics Competition in Nashua This Weekend

Submitted by FIRST Robotics Competition:

The 160+ high school FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) teams that compete and collaborate in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island will have more opportunities than ever to play this winter.

It’s all part of a transition from a state-based to a district operating structure for FIRST in the New England region. The change is providing both new and experienced teams with a higher level of support, more chances to compete this winter, and helping to reduce costs.

Mentors, schools and families support the FRC teams’ intense efforts to design, build and program unique robots that will participate in the 2014 game, AERIAL ASSIST.

Nine NE FIRST district qualifying events will take place between February 28 and April 5 in Nashua N.H., Durham N.H., Groton Conn., Worcester Mass, Smithfield R.I, Southington Conn., Boston Mass., Hartford Conn. and Lewiston ME. A full schedule follows below. Top seeded teams from the district events will participate in the NE FIRST Championship, to be held April 10-12 at Boston University’s Agganis Arena in Boston, Mass.

The 2014 FRC game, AERIAL ASSISTSM, is played by two Alliances of three teams each. Alliances compete by trying to score as many balls in goals as possible during a two-minute and 30-second match. Additional points are earned by robots working together to score goals, and by throwing and catching balls over a truss suspended just over five feet above the floor as they move the ball down the field.

“The students who participate in the FIRST Robotics Competition are not only building robots; they are building character, self-respect, and relationships with their peers,” said Dean Kamen, president of DEKA Research & Development and FIRST Founder. “Winning the game is fun, but the importance of FIRST is that you’ll get much more out of it than you put in, and it’s going to change the rest of your life.”

“The FIRST Robotics Competition develops critical thinking, communication and teamwork skills for the young people who will lead our innovation economy,” said ebm-papst Inc. President and CEO Bob Sobolewski. Sobolewski is chairman of ingenuityNE, the newly-created not-for-profit organization managing NE FIRST programs.

Working with adult mentors, FIRST Robotics Competition student teams have six weeks to design, build, program, and test their robots to meet the season’s engineering challenge. More than 2800 FRC teams from around the world will participate in one or more of the 98 Regional and District competitions that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration, and the determination of students.

This year, NE FIRST presenting and regional sponsors include presenting sponsor United Technologies (UTC) and corporate sponsors Fairchild Semiconductor, BAE Systems, PTC ,ebm-papst Inc. and Texas Instruments.

A full schedule of FIRST Robotics Competition events in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island follows below.

NE FIRST Robotics Championship (FRC) 2014 Season Event Schedule

New Hampshire District Event #1
When: Friday February 28 and Saturday, March 1, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. both days
Location:  Nashua South High School, 36 Riverside Drive, Nashua, NH 03062

New Hampshire District Event #2
When: Thursday, March 6 and Friday, March 7, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days
Where: University of New Hampshire, Lundholm Gymnasium, 145 Main St, Durham, NH 03824

Connecticut District Event #1
When:  Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. both days
Where: Fitch High School, 101 Groton Long Point Road, Groton CT 06340

Massachusetts District Event #1
When: Thursday March 13 and Friday, March 14, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. both days
Where: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609

Rhode Island District Event
When: Friday, March 21 and Saturday, March 22, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. both days
Where: Bryant University, 1150 Douglas Pike, Smithfield, RI 02917-1284

Connecticut District Event #2
When: Saturday, March 22 and Sunday March 23, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. both days
Where: Southington High School, 720 Pleasant St, Southington, CT 06489

Massachusetts District Event #2
When: Friday, March 28 and Saturday March 29, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. both days
Where: Northeastern University, Matthews Arena, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115-5000

Connecticut District Event #3
When: Saturday March 29 and Sunday March 30, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. both days
Where: Hartford Public High School, 55 Forest Street, Hartford CT 06105

Maine District Event
When: Friday April 4 and Saturday, April 5, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. both days
Where: Androscoggin Bank Colisée, 190 Birch St., Lewiston ME 04240

NE FIRST District Championship
When: Thursday April 10, Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. all three days
Where: Agganis Arena at Boston University, 925 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215-1204