March Madness Engineering Style returns to WSU
March Madness returns to Wayne State University this weekend in the form of the FIRST Robotics Detroit Regional Championship.
The competition will be played out on the WSU basketball courts Friday and Saturday, March 16 and 17 with more than 500 high school student participants representing some 36 teams from Michigan and surrounding states.
Technology and innovation begins by sparking young minds, and no other science and math program has proven more engaging to students than the nationwide FIRST Robotics (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) program. Wayne State is demonstrating its support by hosting a regional for the fourth consecutive year.
Governor Jennifer Granholm plans to visit the Detroit Regional Saturday during the final rounds at approximately 2:15 p.m. to interact with the students and hear what they have learned by their participation is this truly unique program.
Granholm created $150,000 in funding for FIRST teams via a grant from the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) as part of her overall state budget recommendations.The MDE distributed $6,000 grants to 25 different high schools. In total, 14 rookie teams were formed, while an additional 11 teams that have only been involved a short time or had trouble finding corporate sponsors also received grant assistance. This helped high school participation grow nine percent over last year; Michigan is already the leading state in the country in per capita student participation.
The teams converging on Wayne State's Matthaei Athletic Complex for the event will include a team from Mexico that is partnering with GM Proving Grounds' Milford High School team. Other regionals will take place across Michigan and the U.S. culminating in the National championships in Atlanta, April 12-14. Michigan teams have won the national title in each of the last five consecutive years.
"Because it's hands-on, it really engages students," said Ralph Kummler, dean of the Wayne State College of Engineering. "The beautiful thing is it is not just about students looking for solutions out of their textbooks. This is about creating solutions that come out of their own minds. When you see them in action, you quickly realize they represent the best of our next generation and hope for a better future for Michigan."
Each high school team had six weeks to design and deliver their individual robot to meet the specific game requirements of this year's competition. Points are scored by hanging inner tubes on a circular rack in the middle of a large playing field, which is just a little smaller than a basketball court. Additional points can be scored if one or more robots can be lifted off the ground at least 12 inches, back at the home base, before time expires.
Teams compete in a spirited, no-holds barred tournament with referees, cheerleaders, scoreboards and time clocks. Two teams made up of alliances of three schools each compete head-to-head.