Eight teams of middle school and high school students came together from across Northwest Florida to compete with their team’s robot at the FIRST® Tech Challenge league tournament held at Crestview High School in Crestview Florida, on Saturday, January 29th. Teams competed with their robots to perform complex maneuvers, earn points, and avoid penalties.
This year’s challenge was released in September of 2021. Throughout the year students develop and utilize a range of technical skills to prepare for the competition. They practice engineering, coding, and designing, as well as learn life skills such as problem-solving, teamwork, and communication. One coach shared “the student’s ability to overcome problems…during the event is really key and…gives them really great life skills moving forward to overcome those issues.”
Congratulations to Team 15297 – Legacy for winning the Inspire Award and the opportunity to compete at the next competition. Three teams are advancing to the State Championship, on March 4th in Winter Haven where they will compete in a 48-team event for the chance to advance to the World Championship in April. Two Florida teams will advance.
FIRST® students enjoyed the excitement of the in-person tournament allowing them to assemble within the STEM community. One student shared, “I learned…about how the design process works and collaborating with other people…trying to put the best parts of everybody’s ideas into a coherent design and making that design into a reality.”
The Doolittle Institute delivers FIRST® Tech Challenge in NWFL with the goal of developing the next generation of STEM students. Events are supported by volunteers from the DoD and the local community.
To see photos from the event please visit Doolittle Institute STEM outreach Facebook page HERE.
For more information on the FIRST program, visit HERE.