BOZEMAN — This past weekend Montana State University hosted robotics competitions for Montana youth, drawing dozens of teams from across the state.
FIRST Lego League teams, composed of students in grades 4-8, have spent months building and programming robots made from Lego kits and competed by performing “missions” on pool table-sized playing fields. Students from grades 7-12 compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge with more complex robots in a larger arena.
FIRST, or For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, is a nonprofit that aims to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology; to motivate them to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math; and to encourage team building, imagination and critical thinking skills.
Loribeth Evertz, the outreach coordinator for MSU’s College of Engineering said, “FIRST is a wonderful program exposing students to STEM and the engineering design process.”
