GEAR - Get Excited About Robotics

Provide an exciting hands-on LEGO robotics challenge to elementary and middle school students at no participation fee with the goal of increasing interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) disciplines and improving retention of engineering undergraduate students at Texas Tech.

GEAR Highlights:

• GEAR tournaments are held across Texas. Rules and challenges are provided by GEARrobotics.
• More than 500 students from 35 elementary and middle schools from all over the South Plains participated in the GEAR 2012 challenge at Texas Tech University.
• School teams in Lubbock are mentored by engineering students.
• Of the 315 students who voluntarily participated in a survey in 2010, 40% reported their ethnicity as Hispanic, 45% qualified for free school lunch, and 42% were girls.
• Participation is open to all elementary and middle schools. There is no participation fee.

Event Information - 2013:

Click here to learn more and sign up.

• January 19 - 9 a.m. - Noon: New Teacher Workshop, Whitacre College of Engineering, Texas Tech University, Electrical Engineering Building, Room 217 (Seacat Room)
  
• February: Start of Team Mentoring Program through Texas Tech Engineering Students
• February 23 - 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.: Kickoff Event at Texas Tech, Biology Lecture Hall 110.
  (The competition challenge will be presented; rules, game pieces, and game mats will be distributed; and teams will be working on hands-on engineering challenges.)
• March 23 - 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.: Practice Run at the Texas Tech Recreational Center: Teams come and practice on official game boards. Elementary schools compete in the morning (9 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.) middle schools in the afternoon (Noon - 2:45 p.m.).
• April 20 - 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Competition Day at the Texas Tech Recreational Center: Compete to win a GEAR award. Elementary schools compete in the morning (9 a.m. - 12:45 a.m.) middle schools in the afternoon (1 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.).

Contact:

Dr. Tanja Karp
Associate Professor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX 79409-3102
Phone: 806.742.3533 ext. 251
tanja.karp@ttu.edu

Texas Tech GEAR Sponsors