ASU instructors place high school students FIRST
ASU’s School of Letters and Sciences is mentoring local youth in a national robotics competition designed to inspire future leaders in science and technology.
For the third year in a row, ASU lecturers John Olson and Cayle Lisenbee will mentor students from Phoenix’s North High School to compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition 2010 Arizona Regional. The event will be held March 11-13 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1865 W. McDowell Road, Phoenix.
“The FIRST program provides an excellent opportunity for ASU faculty and resources to contribute positively to the development of teachers and students in Phoenix’s urban high schools,” said Cayle Lisenbee, a lecturer with the School of Letters and Sciences. “It’s infectious to watch talented high school students apply principles of science and technology to relevant, real world problems. These activities will pay big dividends to Arizona’s communities in the future.”
Students from grades nine through twelve design and build robots that will participate in a theme competition. This year’s theme is “Breakaway”, a game that requires robots to navigate a field of obstacles and score points by kicking or rolling a soccer ball through a goal. Forty-three regional competitions in the U.S., Canada, and Israel will lead up to the 2010 FIRST Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, April 15-17.
The mission of the organization is to motivate and inspire the next generation of innovators by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills.
The FIRST Robotics Competition began in 1992 with 28 teams in a New Hampshire high school gym. This season more than 1,800 teams will participate for $12 million in college scholarships and prizes.
For more information about the FIRST Robotics Competition Arizona Regional, visit http://www.usfirst.org/default.aspx.
Contact:
Cayle S. Lisenbee,
Lisenbee.Cayle@asu.edu
Faculty Lecturer
School of Letters and Sciences
(602) 496-0641