Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
This Weekend Student-Built Robots Compete for D.C. Botball Title

Students carry robotic craft at a competition

Students from around the Washington Metropolitan area will go head-to-head in a fast-paced robot competition this Saturday, May 3, 2003 at the University of Maryland's Ritchie Coliseum. The event 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 spent the past six weeks designing, building and programming their robots to compete in the D.C. Regional Botball Tournament. The 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.

The total number of teams this year is 49 with 20 from Virginia, 24 from Maryland, and five from Washington DC. Included in this years contest is the Model Secondary School for the Deaf. This year's competition will utilize a variety of motion, infrared, and vision sensors in the robot designs.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center is a major sponsor of the event with funding going to nearly 20 teams and to support the over all event. In addition, a number of GSFC civil servants and contractors are mentors to the teams or judges at the competition while others will be supporting NASA display booths at the event.

"In the six years this event has been going on, we have NEVER turned a team away because they couldn't raise the funds" said NASA's Jim Green. "If the kids are motivated to have a team, we find a way to fund them! No one is left behind."

For more on the botball competition, go to: http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/news-
release/releases/2003/03-47.htm

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NASA 's Mission:
*To understand and protect our home planet
*To explore the Universe and search for life
*To inspire the next generation of explorers
…as only NASA can

For a further details of the NASA mission, go to: http://www.nasa.gov/bios/vision.html

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Centennial of Flight Activities Gain Momentum: NASA has a special connection with the Wright Brothers' 100th anniversary. In 1915, the United States Congress created the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, NASA's predecessor organization. During 2003, Inventing Flight offers an outstanding opportunity for NASA to reach the public and show pride in our part of aviation's evolution. Visit the NASA Glenn Centennial Website at: http://centennial.grc.nasa.gov for information about the Inventing Flight celebration. Volunteers are needed for most of the venues and participation is open to all NASA civil service employees, contractors and retirees with supervisory approval.

For more information on the Centennial of Flight celebration events, go to: http://www.centennialofflight.gov/