College of Engineering Home
March 15, 2008
Forty-two robots built by high school students representing the countries of Canada, Germany and the Netherlands along with teams from the states of Arizona, California, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah are en route to the Thomas and Mack Center on the UNLV campus.
The Fourth Annual Las Vegas FIRST (FRC)Robotics Competition officially begins Friday, March 28 concluding on March 29, 2008. The lead sponsor UNLV's Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering welcomes the teams to campus beginning Wednesday, March 26.
"FIRST provides a rare opportunity to host 1,200 of the brightest high school students in the nation and show them that the skills they're learning for the competition can lead to valuable and rewarding careers. The numbers suggest that we're beginning to reach the next generation of engineers-both male and female students." -UNLV College of Engineering Dean, Eric Sandgren.
What is FIRST?
For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) is a high school robotics program developed by accomplished inventor Dean Kamen to prove to students that science can be as exciting as sports and entertainment and to inspire them to pursue careers in science and engineering. The FIRST robotics competition is an international contest during which students, with the help of UNLV and engineering industry mentors, design and build unique robots from an identical kit of parts to participate in an energetic two-day competition at the Thomas & Mack Center. In addition to building their bots, the students engage in computer animation, web site design and various marketing and fundraising activities.
UNLV/FIRST partnership
To address the nationwide shortage of science and engineering professionals, the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering at UNLV is developing creative approaches to connect with high school students and prove to them that careers in engineering can be both rewarding and within their reach. Through events like FIRST, UNLV can reach some of the top students in the nation and showcase its programs and unique undergraduate research opportunities.
FIRST's success
UNLV has been involved with FIRST since 2002, when students and faculty from the college of engineering began mentoring teams from local high schools to compete in various regional competitions. When UNLV was awarded its own FIRST regional in 2005, three local high school teams competed. Now in its fourth year, 14 local teams will compete with as many as 28 additional teams from across the nation.
In addition to the competition, teams participate in tours presented by Cirque du Soleil, Hoover Dam, while also getting to know UNLV by staying in the residence halls and attending student life activities.
Blue Man Group will officially welcome the teams Thursday, March 27 at 7 p.m. at The Venetian. The Las Vegas community and UNLV faculty, staff, and students may purchase discount tickets for this show. To purchase tickets, christine.wallace@unlv.edu or 702-895-3965. Tickets are NOT available via the Venetian or Blue Man Group ticket offices.
During the competition, Everything Entertainment Inc. & Photography will showcase the following entertainers Friday, March 28 Dakota "The Crooner" followed by James B. Thompson "The Rope Master."
Johnny Thompson, "Elvis," will be in the house for the Saturday morning opening ceremonies. Warming up the house for "Elvis" is UNLV alum Paul Villaluz '97, '06 accompanied by his band "Bad Mojo."
UNLV's AFROTC Det. 004 and ARMY colorguards will post the colors for both opening ceremonies.
Terry Fator, winner of the most recent "America's Got Talent" competition will perform from 2:45 until 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 29.
Local engineers and supporters of the college of engineering, Brook Demitropoulos representing G. C. Wallace and current UNLV graduate student Kenneth Lamb,will emcee the event along with local TV and Radio personality Nate "The Bowtie Guy" Tannenbaum.
The following local Clark County School District High Schools have teams participating and hope to win the regional champioship title:
Arbor View, Basic, Canyon Springs, Cimarron-Memorial, Clark, Coronado, Del Sol, Eldorado, Foothill, Legacy, Palo Verde, Rancho, SECTA, and Valley. Cimarron-Memorial is the current reigning National Champion.
Thank you to our sponsors: American Pacific Corporation, Bechtel Foundation/Bechtel SAIC Co., LLC, Cirque du Soleil, FIRST NV, National Security Technologies, LLC, Dr. Robert Mendenhall & Las Vegas Paving Corporation, Southwest Gas, TIMET, Tronox, LLC, UNLV Office of the President, and the UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering.
Special thanks to JTF Events and the ALEXIS Park for their assistance with lodging for our teams.
Rodd Buckle Photography is the official event photographer.
A live webcast of the competition will also be available.
A heartfelt thank you to all of our event volunteers and to the UNLV campus offices that have helped the college of engineering and the regional planning committee prepare for this event. We could not experience success without you.
If you would like additional information and or want to set-up a tour during the event, please contact Christine Wallace at christine.wallace@unlv.edu or 702-895-3965. If you plan to take a tour, safety goggles will be provided. (Please note, for safety reasons-please no open-toe shoes are allowed).
The competition on Friday and Saturday is free and Open to the Public.
To learn more about FIRST: http://www.usfirst.org/
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