Municipal News

Last Updated on Wednesday, 04 April 2018 16:34

Thousands of Teens from Western Pennsylvania and Beyond Design and Build Robots for Contests at California University of Pennsylvania

The robots are back at Cal U! This spring, thousands of high school students from western Pennsylvania and across the country will pack their toolkits and bring their custom-designed robots to California University of Pennsylvania.

Cal U welcomes the public to four robotics events this season. Admission to all events is free:

March 17: SeaPerch Underwater Robotics. About 200 students from the region’s middle schools and high schools compete to build an underwater robotic rover and test its performance in the Hamer Hall pool. The project is organized in collaboration with the Navy Recruiting District, Pittsburgh.
March 22-24: FIRST® Robotics, Greater Pittsburgh Regional Competition. In the Convocation Center arena, more than 1,100 high school students from around the globe compete at FIRST® Power Up, putting their 120-pound custom-designed robots to the test in a challenge that recalls classic arcade games. Teams from China join U.S. competitors from Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Michigan, Florida and Hawaii in this exciting competition.
April 12-14: BotsIQ, Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Competition. Teams from 85 regional schools and community organizations battle for dominance in gladiator-style matches in the Convocation Center arena. Sparks fly as the 15-pound ’bots clash, smash and try to trash the competition. A free STEAM Showcase from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. April 14 spotlights science, technology, engineering, arts and math in the region; it includes a visit from the Intermediate Unit 1 Mobile Fab Lab.
May 18-19: National Robotics League. The action is fast and furious when about 70 high school teams from across the country, including some southwestern Pennsylvania BotsIQ competitors, send their robots into battle inside the Convocation Center arena.