FIRST Robotics Competition a Success

GRAND RAPIDS — The first annual FIRST Robotics Competition has come and gone and the overall consensus is that it was a complete success.

Forty-two teams from throughout Michigan, composed of high school students, teachers and volunteers from various corporations, competed for awards at the Grand Center. The winning teams have the opportunity to continue on to the national competition April 5-7 at Epcot Center in Florida.

The FIRST Robotics Competition is a national engineering contest designed to inspire curiosity and create interest in science and mathematics. Several awards were handed out to the winners. The West Michigan regional champions from Michigan are:

• 3-Dimensional Services and Oakland Technical Center, Northeast Campus

• DaimlerChrylser and Avondale High School and Notre Dame Preparatory

• Metal Flow/Herman Miller/Innotec/Town & Country Elec/Midway Machine and Zeeland High School

• Ford Motor Company and Dearborn High School

The West Michigan regional runners-up from Michigan were:

• GM Powertrain and Willow Run High School

• Haworth Inc. and Holland High School

• DaimlerChrylser and Lake Orion High School

"It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm and fun that the competition generated among the students, and the teachers, engineers and professionals from corporations and universities who mentored them, as well as among the fans," said Dr. Barbara Bolin, director of the Michigan Department of Career Development.

"It was readily apparent that the competition opened many student's eyes to just how exciting a career in engineering, science or mathematics can be. And the support all the students received from parents, teachers, employers and engineers was an important factor in making this competition a success."

The Michigan Department of Career Development joined with Johnson Controls Inc., Audio Advisor Inc., Sagestone Consulting, Grand Rapids Community College, CompuCraft and Straightline to sponsor the FIRST Robotics West Michigan Regional Competition.