Adelphi University will host the highly anticipated 2018 VEX Robotics Competition on campus Saturday, Jan. 20.
The university’s fifth annual competition will feature driver-controlled robots created by students from Long Island and the region battling for top prizes.
This competition runs from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., starting with check‐ins and then inspections, interviews, and opening ceremony, qualification matches, and the closing ceremony and awards.
The VEX Robotics Competition was brought to the East Coast five years ago by Sabita Nayak, director of Science Advancement at Adelphi University.
This special academic program encourages students in underrepresented groups to master challenging content and think critically in science, technology, mathematics, and health-related subjects to prepare them for higher education and the workforce.
With the theme “In the Zone,” this year’s competition will take place on a 12’x12’ field and include two alliances — red and blue. The object is to attain a higher score than the opposing alliance by stacking cones on goals, by scoring mobile goals in goal zones, by having the highest stacks and by parking robots.
This year, 38 teams of high school students from across Long Island and beyond, including Freeport High School’s Red Devil Robotics and Garden City High School’s GC Robotics, will compete.
Tournament champions in last year’s competition, which was themed “Starstruck,” were Jericho High School and Harvey School in Katonah. Jericho will be competing again this year with their team named Hawks.
The VEX Robotics Design System offers students a platform for learning about growing career opportunities in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Creating projects with VEX Robotics technology also allows students to develop skills in teamwork, leadership and problem solving among groups, while giving educators the opportunity to customize projects to meet the level of students’ abilities.
The schools competing include Thomas A. Edison CTE High School, Elwood High School, Freeport High School, The Harvey School, Adelphi University STEP Program, Massapequa School District, NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine STEP Grant, St. Catharine Academy, Jericho High School, Roslyn High School, Bayside High School, Centereach High School, Malverne Senior High School, Garden City High School, Newfield High School, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and Babylon UFSD.
Learn more about the VEX Robotics Competition online, or contact Sabita Nayak at 516-237-8622.
