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Robotics Judging
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Last updated October 3, 2009

One opportunity for MIT CNC members to get involved is by judging or otherwise volunteering at one of the dozens of K-12 robotics tournaments held each year in Northern California.

K-12 Robotics and MIT’s 2.70

These tournaments are part of programs created by the non-profit US First foundation, which was formed in 1989 to encourage career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math. Today US First organizes annual robotics competitions in all 50 states and nearly 40 countries around the world.

The competitions are inspired by the MIT 2.70 machine design class created by MIT Professor Woodie Flowers. Flowers remains the leading technical advisor to US First, and each year the organization gives the Woodie Flowers Award to an outstanding robotics mentor.

US First runs four separate robotics programs for K-12 students:

  • Jr FLL (Jr. First Lego League) for ages 6-9, a non-competitive program using Lego pieces;
  • FLL (First Lego League) for ages 9-14, using Lego Ppieces and Lego Mindstorms components;
  • FTC (First Tech Challenge) for ages 14-18, using Tetrix metal parts and Lego Mindstorms components; and
  • FRC (First Robotics Competition) for ages 14-18, using student-designed, custom-manufactured robots; this is the subject of the PBS documentary “Gearing Up”
The latter three competitions culminate at the international First championships, held each year in Atlanta in April.

Need for FLL Judges, Referees and Volunteers (November-January)

In Northern California, the greatest need for volunteers is for the FLL program, which attracts more than 6,000 teams across North America and about 350 teams in Northern California.

In the 2009-2010 season, the Nor Cal FLL will be organizing about 20 tournaments on weekends from November-January, in addition to informal scrimmages in October. These tournaments will be held from San Jose to Chico, and each will require 20-60 volunteers. Each tournament needs a wide range of volunteers and skills, from former robotics competitors (or K-12 science judges) to high school kids seeking community service hours. Some responsibilities require training or prior experience, but many do not.

For information on specific dates and locations — or to sign up — see the NorCalFLL volunteer page.

Other Volunteer Opportunities (February & March)

In additional to FLL, volunteers are also needed for three other Northern California robotics tournaments:
See the US First website for latest info.
For all four of the programs — Jr FLL, FLL, FTC and FRC — local schools often require mentors or other adult assistance. Check with your school to see if they are involved in one of these programs and need some help.

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