Student-Built Robots Compete for D.C. Botball Title

Fifty-nine D.C. area teams will go head-to-head in a fast-paced robot competition on Saturday, May 4, 2002, at George Mason University's Patriot Center. Goddard is a major sponsor of the competition, presented by KISS Institute for Practical Robotics.

The competition is designed to engage students in learning the practical applications of science, technology, engineering and math through robot building and programming.

Middle and high school students from across the region have six weeks to design, build and program a robot to compete in the D.C. Regional Botball Tournament. Robots compete on a 4-foot by 8-foot game board and score points by moving colored balls into scoring position. Each school's team of two robots must turn themselves on and off, react to their opponent and maneuver on the game board without the use of remote controls.

According to NASA's Jim Green, Goddard is the big supporter of this year's tournament, contributing help with entry fees for any team that can't afford the $2,000 fee, providing mentors to more than a dozen teams, providing five judges for game day and covering some of the costs to have it at the Patriot Center.

"We have a large number of Goddard employees who devote their extra time working with these kids as mentors, or judges, or manning the booths. Our participation has always been something that I am extremely proud of."

For the complete article and more information on this weekend's botball tournament, go to: http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/news-release/releases/2002/02-068.htm or visit www.botball.org.