BRUNSWICK
Maine high school students will compete with remote-controlled robots during a robotics and engineering competition Tuesday that’s hosted by Southern Maine Community College and the University of Maine’s Brunswick Engineering Program.
Dozens of students from Portland High School, Kennebunk High School and the
Lewiston Regional Tech Center are taking part in the event at the Maine Advanced Technology and Engineering Center (MATEC) on SMCC’s Midcoast Campus in Brunswick. Competition begins at 9:45 a.m.
For the competition, students design and build robots that move about on wheels and have claws, shovels and other appendages that are used to move foam balls to their opponents’ side of an 8-by-8 playing field. The goal is to move as many of the balls as possible to the other side of the field during a series of two-minute matches. The final match is followed by lunch and an awards ceremony.
The aim of the competition is to teach students about and increase their interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, through hands-on robotics engineering.
“This competition is designed to engage students with hands-on learning and real engineering challenges. It is our goal to inspire and encourage them toward further learning and careers in these fields,” said Jim Whitten, dean of SMCC’s Midcoast Campus. “This is one pathway that could lead to careers in engineering for Maine students.”
The competition represents the conclusion of a larger program hosted at MATEC and funded by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation that has provided robotics equipment and training to Portland High School and Lewiston Regional Tech Center students over the past year.
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