They waved banners and wore face paint, but the screaming fans who filled Lundholm Gym to capacity March 6 and 7 weren't in Durham for a sports event—they were teams facing off in a FIRST Robotics competition that drew some 2,000 high school-age engineers from schools around New England. Forty teams had designed and constructed their own robots to compete in a series of tasks that showcased the students' computer programming and engineering skills, all for a shot at the national FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) contest and one of nearly 900 college scholarships. In between matches, teams toured the UNH campus, learned about the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, and met members of the university's own WildCats robotics team.
Originally published by:
UNH Magazine, Spring 2014 Issue
