Students and their advisors will be available for interviews immediately following each robot competition. To reach Ames, take the Moffett Field exit off Highway 101, drive east to the main gate at Moffett Federal Airfield and report to the Visitor Badging Office for vehicle passes and directions to Hangar 1. Media representatives must present valid press credentials to be admitted onto Ames property. Students and their advisors designed and constructed remote-control robots in six weeks using identical kits of material.
Advisors are often professional engineers from private industry, government and universities.
Regional finals will be held at seven locations across the country, including NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Organizers say the overall goal of the robot competition is to allow students to interact with engineers so that the young people can see the connection between classroom instruction and the real world. Hopefully, this will inspire more students to become engineers. The annual robotics competition is patterned after Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Woodie Flowers' engineering design course. Friday, Feb. 26 - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., PST, competition and other activities.