LSSU hosts hundreds of students for FIRST robotics competition

Brendan Wiesner, The Sault News
·2 min read
The completion stage that students will use to show off their hard work in programing and engineering is shown during the regional FIRST competition at LSSU on March 24.
The completion stage that students will use to show off their hard work in programing and engineering is shown during the regional FIRST competition at LSSU on March 24.

SAULT STE. MARIE — Hundreds of students from across the state showed off their robotics expertise at Lake Superior State University this week.

On Friday, March 24, LSSU hosted the annual regional FIRST competition which saw participating students from 40 Michigan high schools compete.

This is the fifth year LSSU has hosted the regional matches for the FIRST competition. After winning in this competition, students can go on to compete at the state and national levels to show off their robotics skills.

High school teams make their final preparations at the LSSU FIRST robotics competition on March 24, 2023.
High school teams make their final preparations at the LSSU FIRST robotics competition on March 24, 2023.

FIRST, which stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Math, is a robotics organization that holds competitions and other events around the world to encourage students to enter the field of robotics and technology.

Students who are part of their local robotics teams at their high schools have the chance to join this program. They spend about two months developing and adding to their robots before the competition. Robots are usually passed down from one team to another as students graduate, and each team adds to the machine for the specific tasks of that year.

Robotics teams put the finishing touches on their machines at the FIRST robotics competition at LSSU on March 24, 2023.
Robotics teams put the finishing touches on their machines at the FIRST robotics competition at LSSU on March 24, 2023.
The Superior Roboworks machine is displayed at the FIRST robotics competition at LSSU on March 24, 2023.
The Superior Roboworks machine is displayed at the FIRST robotics competition at LSSU on March 24, 2023.

The competition is designed so that students have to learn skills such as teamwork and problem solving, as well as other issues that face real teams of engineers. Teams are even tasked with things that engineer teams would have to learn outside of the science, such as marketing for their team and raising funds for the project.

"Teams are made up of people that do the artwork, do the marketing plan, the fundraising, build a plan of action, timetables, that kind of things. Some of them you know, never even touched the robot,"  said Dr. Kimberly Muller, dean of the College of Innovation and Solutions. "So they're learning a lot of skills that involve working as a team and having effective communication."

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The FIRST robotics competition brought in 40 high school teams from across the state to LSSU for the regional contest taking place on March 24 and 25.
The FIRST robotics competition brought in 40 high school teams from across the state to LSSU for the regional contest taking place on March 24 and 25.

During the competition, robots are tasked with completing a variety of challenges that change every year based on a theme. In 2019, the last year LSSU hosted the event, the theme was video game power ups, and teams were asked to do tasks like moving Super Mario themed blocks.

"It depends on the theme of the year but they're asked to do things like put balls through hoops and maneuver through a maze," said Muller. "Robotics teams should expect to have to do numerous tasks like that."

The challenges are designed to help students solve real world problems that engineers would have to face.

Teams put on their final preparations to begin the competition at the FIRST robotics competition at LSSU on March 24, 2023.
Teams put on their final preparations to begin the competition at the FIRST robotics competition at LSSU on March 24, 2023.

This year the theme is "Charged Up" and is sponsored by the battery company Energizer.

Starting the morning of Friday, March 24, the competition will last until the end of day on Saturday, March 25.

"I would encourage anybody that has a chance to come see the event," said Muller. "It's really impressive what these students can accomplish."

— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com

This article originally appeared on The Sault News: LSSU hosts hundreds of students for FIRST robotics competition