Robotics Competition is a FIRST on Campus
In a competition known as a “varsity sport for the mind,” the rivals were robots,
not athletes, when McKendree University hosted the FIRST® Tech Challenge at the Melvin
Price Convocation Center gymnasium on Jan. 14.
Eighteen-inch robots built and controlled by high school students from 33 Missouri
and Illinois teams battled it out in exciting two-minute rounds of “Bowled Over!”,
a game played with racquetballs and bowling balls.
FIRST® Robotics combines the study of science and technology with the excitement,
intensity and fun of sports to inspire students’ interest in innovation and engineering.
Its founder is Dean Kamen, an inventor and entrepreneur best known for designing the
Segway two-wheeled transporter.
For the first time, McKendree was the site of one of 53 regional FIRST® Tech Challenges
in the U.S. Finalists advanced to the Missouri state championship at the Missouri
University of Science and Technology at Rolla in February. The world championship
will be held Apr. 25 to 28 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.