GEAR is an eight week robotics challenge held each spring that is designed to excite young students in grades K-8 about engineering. We believe that all children should have equal access to opportunities, therefore there is no cost to participants other than time and travel and the competition is open to all interested elementary and middle schools and after school clubs. Working in teams of 3-5 students, the challenge requires teams to use LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT or EV3 kits to design, program, troubleshoot, test, and improve their robots at their schools/clubs under the guidance of a teacher/coach. The theme of the competition changes every year and is motivated by real world applications of robotics (automated farming, robotic surgery, unmanned space travel, etc.). Program faculty lead for GEAR is Dr. Tanja Karp.

tanja.karp@ttu.edu       Learn more about GEAR

West Texas BEST is a six-week robotics competition for middle school and high school students that occurs each fall. School participation is free and any school is eligible to participate regardless of socioeconomic status, size, or location. Many of the materials necessary for participation are provided for teams free of charge. Teams have six weeks from the unveiling of the competition theme to develop a robot that will successfully complete the challenge assigned for that year. Teams are mentored by Texas Tech students. Program faculty lead for BEST is Joe Dannemiller.

joseph.b.dannemiller@ttu.edu      Learn more about BEST

The FIRST® TECH CHALLENGE (FTC) is a mid-level robotics competition for students in grades 7th-12th (ages 12-18). FTC is designed for those who want to compete head-to-head using a sports model. Teams of 10+ students - including coaches, mentors, and volunteers - are required to develop a strategy and construct robots based on sound engineering principles. Teams design, build and program robots to compete in an alliance format against other teams to solve the game task for a given year. The robot kit is reusable from year to year and is programmed using a variety of languages. Awards are given for the competition, as well as for community outreach, design and other real-world accomplishments. Event coordinator is De'Lila Holder, technical advisor is Nick Jones, and program advisor for FTC is Dr. Tim Dallas,

delila.holder@ttu.edu

Nick.Jones@rmadden.com   

tim.dallas@ttu.edu         Learn more about FIRST

 

FTC Panhandle Plains Summer Robotics Conference Registration

On July 30, 2019, the 1st annual Panhandle Plains Summer Robotics Conference will be held at Mackenzie Middle School in Lubbock, Texas. This conference is designed for FIRST Tech Challenges teachers, mentors, and students as an opportunity to network, learn new skills, and prepare for the coming year of FIRST competition! We are planning a fun exciting event that will help you RISE to new levels for the 2019-20 season!

There will be a combination of large group sessions and small group breakout sessions of your choice to help you build the skills you need.

Registration is open for rookie teams, veteran teams, and those who are thinking about starting a team as well!

Part of the registration process will include signing up to join our REMIND group which will allow the committee to send conference updates to participants in a way that keeps student information private.

Students will not give personal information through this form except for first and last name and team with which they are associated.

Please complete the form below to sign up for the conference. We are asking for everyone to register to help us plan sessions and accommodate for lunch needs and other goodies!

Conference Registration Link:
https://forms.gle/qhddiEzbczSRwbpb7