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Microchip Announces Sponsorship of 2013/2014 VEX® Robotics Competitions

Thursday, May 2nd, 2013

Microchip Offers Grants for 20 Rookie Arizona VEX Teams and Loans Fully-Equipped Gaming Trailer for Teams to Hold Local Tournaments

Microchip Technology Inc., a leading provider of microcontroller, mixed-signal, analog and Flash-IP solutions announced support of several VEX® robotics tournaments in Arizona, providing opportunities for teams who were able to qualify for the 2013 VEX Robotics World Championship, which was held April 18-20, 2013 in Anaheim, CA presented by the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation.  The challenge, VEX “Sack Attack” pitted team alliances against each other to score points by dumping as many sacks into their alliance troughs during a two minute match.  As a result of Microchip sponsorship grants, 20 rookie teams were created in Arizona in 2013 and two new playing fields were donated, allowing more events and more teams to participate.  More than 700 teams from 24 countries and 15,000 students competed in Anaheim and teams from Cave Creek, Arizona, took home awards in the “Create” and the Autodesk Design Award categories.

Steve Sanghi, President and CEO of Microchip Technology Inc., was inducted into the STEM Heroes Hall of Fame for his work in promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Math throughout the years with his involvement with various robotics programs, including VEX, FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and the Microchip Academic Program.  “I am honored to be included among this esteemed group of individuals who recognize that it is our responsibility to prepare the next generation of engineers, innovators and scientists so they can define new technology to create a stronger economy through education,” said Steve Sanghi, upon receiving this accolade.  VEX Robotics and the REC Foundation also announced a new program at the World Championship event, VEX IQ and the VEX IQ Challenge, will bring robotics to the elementary school level.  This makes VEX available to students in elementary school through college.

Microchip, in conjunction with the REC Foundation is expanding its support for 2013-2014 with an additional 20 grants that will be offered to rookie VEX teams in Arizona.  Additionally, Microchip will equip a portable VEX playing field system housed in a trailer that can be loaned out to Arizona teams who want to host scrimmages or qualifying tournaments in Arizona.  Two playing fields, electronics, and all gaming pieces will be included, allowing teams to put on their own VEX Robotics Competition events.  For more information or to get involved, contact Carol Popovich at carol.popovich@microchip.com or (480) 792-7938.

Resources
High-res VEX logo Available Through Flickr or Editorial Contact (feel free to publish): http://www.microchip.com/get/RCTC

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About Microchip Technology
Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:  MCHP) is a leading provider of microcontroller, mixed-signal analog and Flash-IP solutions, providing low-risk product development, lower total system cost and faster time to market for thousands of diverse customer applications worldwide.  Headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, Microchip offers outstanding technical support along with dependable delivery and quality.  For more information, visit the Microchip website at http://www.microchip.com/get/TNJ2.

About the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation
The REC Foundation seeks to increase student interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by engaging students in hands-on, sustainable and affordable curriculum-based robotics engineering programs across the U.S. and internationally. The REC Foundation develops partnerships with K-12 education, higher education, government, industry and the nonprofit community to achieve this work.  For more information on REC Foundation, visit http://www.microchip.com/get/VRQE or http://www.microchip.com/get/KT3V.

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VEX ROBOTICS EXPANDS INTO ELEMENTARY WITH LAUNCH OF VEX IQ

Tuesday, April 30th, 2013

Technologically Advanced, Tool-less System will Transform STEM Education for Younger Ages

VEX Robotics, Inc., announced today the launch of VEX IQ, a robotics platform designed to transform STEM learning for young students and their teachers. Students as young as six can jump right in and snap robots together using this intuitive, tool-less platform while educators can utilize the free VEX IQ Curriculum to help teach them valuable lessons and skills that are needed in today’s changing world.

“The VEX IQ platform is truly a revolution for STEM education at younger ages,” said Paul Copioli, president of VEX Robotics. “We’ve taken our years of experience in educational robotics and created a simple, powerful and flexible platform for students and teachers alike.”

The VEX IQ system was designed to be simple and easy for students to use. Structural pieces snap together and come apart without tools, allowing for quick build times and easy modifications. A variety of gears, wheels and other accessories allows for complete customization of VEX IQ projects and mobile robots.

The Robot Brain takes high-end, powerful technology and simplifies it for educational use while keeping a high ceiling. Up to 12 Smart Port devices can be connected to the Robot Brain, which can then be controlled by built-in programs or programmed via a computer and compatible software program. In addition to using pre-programmed instructions, VEX IQ robots can be controlled by drivers using the Controller.

Free graphical programming software, powered by Modkit, allows for custom robot commands, sensor interaction and more and is included in every VEX IQ Kit. ROBOTC for VEX IQ, created by Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy, allows robot programming in C. The VEX Assembler powered by Autodesk 123D adapts the power of Autodesk’s advanced 3D modeling tools, giving students the ability to assemble and test VEX IQ mechanisms and robots virtually.

VEX IQ Starter Kits are priced at $249.99 The VEX IQ Super Kit is $299.99. Kits are available for pre-order now and will begin shipping in June.

In addition to transforming STEM education in the classroom, VEX IQ will be used in the VEX IQ Challenge presented by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, an extracurricular STEM program for elementary and middle school students (ages eight to14). The power of the VEX IQ system combined with the REC Foundation’s years of experience inspiring students through robotics competitions is giving younger students more affordable access to the inspiration, excitement and learning that comes from participating in a STEM challenge.

For more information on VEX IQ, visit www.vexrobotics.com

For more information on the VEX IQ Challenge, visit RobotEvents.com

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THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS GEAR UP FOR 2013 VEX ROBOTICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Monday, April 15th, 2013

15,000 Participants from 24 Countries around the World Unite in Anaheim, Ca. for the Ultimate Competitive Robotics Showdown on April 17-20, 2013

ROCKWALL, Texas, April 15, 2013 – On April 17-20, 2013, more than 15,000 participants comprised of the world’s smartest middle school, high school and university students, from 24 countries around the world, will converge at the Anaheim Convention Center to flex their robotic brawn at the VEX Robotics Competition World Championship, presented by the Robotics Education and Competition (REC) Foundation. More than just an exercise in programming and driving robots, these tech-savvy students turn robotics into an engaging hands-on sport that is riveting to watch.

The 2013 VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) World Championship, which will be held with free admission to the general public, serves as the pinnacle event of the season for the largest and fastest growing educational and competitive robotics program in the world. After dedicating countless hours designing, building, programming and honing their strategy skills at more than 400 local, regional and national VRC events, 700 out of more than 7,300 total VRC teams have earned the right to travel to Anaheim, California where they will form strategic alliances with other teams and challenge their toughest competitors playing the 2012-2013 season game VEX Sack Attack.

“The fact that the REC Foundation has grown the VEX Robotics Competition by 51 percent this past year is testament to the growing demand from today’s students who want to engage in robotics competitions, just as we typically see with physical sports,” said Jason Morrella, president of the REC Foundation. “We are committed to providing today’s youth with more opportunities and increased access to high-quality STEM programs like VEX Robotics, which will best prepare them to become our future innovators and thought leaders, while having fun in the process.”

The VEX Robotics Competition provides students and teams worldwide with the perfect storm of applied physics, mathematics, computer programming, digital prototyping, integrated problem solving, teamwork and leadership. Under specific rules and with limited resources, VRC teams learn about time management as they build and program customized robots using the VEX Robotics Design System, which they use to compete in alliances, executing the game VEX Sack Attack, which takes place on a 12’x12’ square field. Two alliances – one “red” and one “blue” – compete in matches consisting of an autonomous period followed by driver- controlled play. The object of the game is to attain a higher score than the opposing alliance by scoring sacks and bonus sacks in the colored floor goals, troughs and high goal, and by having the most robots of your color parked at the end of the match.

Partners and sponsors of the 2013 VEX Robotics Competition World Championship include Northrop Grumman Foundation, Autodesk, EMC, NASA, Chevron, GoDaddy.com, Microchip, Texas Instruments and Innovation First International.  In addition, VEX Robotics continually reaches more students in the classroom through key partnerships with notable education-based organizations, Project Lead the Way (PLTW) and Technology Students Association (TSA).

Fans can follow the competition and sign up for real-time competition news and results via live webcasts, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Ptch and YouTube updates. Real time tournament results are also available through VEX via, an iPhone and Android compatible app, which provides match schedules, rankings and scores. For more information visit RobotEvents.com/championship.

About REC Foundation
The REC Foundation seeks to increase student interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by engaging students in hands-on, sustainable and affordable curriculum-based robotics engineering programs across the U.S. and internationally. The REC Foundation develops partnerships with K-12 education, higher education, government, industry, and the non-profit community to achieve this work. For more information on REC Foundation, visit www.roboticseducation.org.

About VEX Robotics
VEX Robotics, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Innovation First International, is a leading provider of educational and competitive robotics products to middle schools, high schools, colleges and robotics teams around the world. The VEX Robotics Design System, winner of the 2006 Best of Innovations Award at CES, was built from the ground up and designed to be an affordable, accessible and scalable platform used to teach science, technology, engineering and math education worldwide. The VEXpro product line, designed for large scale competitive robots, gives robotics enthusiasts superior performance for less cost. The company has over 250 man years of experience supporting educational robotics programs and extensive engineering resources on two continents dedicated to the VEX Robotics platform. For more information on VEX Robotics, visit www.vexrobotics.com.

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GO DADDY PARTNERS WITH RECF TO EXPAND K-12 ROBOTICS OFFERINGS IN 4 STATES

Monday, April 8th, 2013

Go Daddy provides $65,000 grant to support the VEX Robotics Competition World Championship & State Championships in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Iowa

The Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation and Go Daddy, today announced a $65,000 partnership grant to support growth and development of four VEX Robotics Competition State Championships in Arizona, California, Colorado and Iowa. The partnership also supports the VEX Robotics Competition World Championship in Anaheim, CA on April 18-20, an event that will attract 700+ teams and 15,000 students for three full days of robotics engineering competition.

“Go Daddy clearly values expanding student interest and access to high-quality science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs, like the VEX Robotics Competition,” said Jason Morrella, President, REC Foundation. “With Go Daddy’s generous support, more students, teachers and parents will have access to affordable and challenging hands-on robotics engineering education and competition opportunities.”

Go Daddy is the Web’s top platform for small businesses and serves more than 11 million customers worldwide. “Go Daddy believes it has a responsibility to invest in these tech-savvy students,” said Go Daddy Chief Human Resources Officer Lane Jarvis. “Go Daddy is passionate about creating opportunities for them. The students are learning valuable science and math concepts that are vital to their success as the next generation of technologists. The upcoming competitions are smart, fun and exciting events and a great fit for students – and for Go Daddy.”

The VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) has experienced incredible growth due to the efforts of the REC Foundation, expanding to include well-over 7,300 teams, accounting for 51 percent year-over-year team growth during the 2012-2013 season. The partnership with Go Daddy will uniquely position the REC Foundation to respond to this growth by adding or expanding state competitions in Arizona, California, Colorado and Iowa.

The REC Foundation manages the VEX Robotics Competition, which provides students and teams worldwide with hands-on, curriculum-based robotics engineering programs while also engaging them in valuable teamwork and problem-solving experience. Teams compete year-round at more than 350 events which culminate in April at the VEX Robotics Competition World Championship.

VRC is the largest co-curricular middle and high school robotics program and is expected to reach more than 85,000 students during the 2012-2013 season. To learn more about the REC Foundation, please visit RoboticsEducation.org.

About the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation
The REC Foundation seeks to increase student interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by engaging students in hands-on, sustainable and affordable curriculum-based robotics engineering programs across the U.S. and internationally. The REC Foundation develops partnerships with K-12 education, higher education, government, industry, and the non-profit community to achieve this work.

About Go Daddy
Go Daddy is the world’s largest domain name provider, Web hosting provider and new SSL provider, focused on helping small businesses grow larger. Go Daddy provides dozens of cloud-based services and is the largest worldwide mass-market hosting provider by annual revenue according to 451 Research (Mass-Market Hosting Report-Fall 2012) and is the #1 provider of net-new SSL certificates for 2012, according to the Netcraft, LTD Secure Server Survey. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com/PR.
- Go Daddy Operating Company, LLC – Copyright © 2013 GoDaddy.com, LLC All Rights Reserved

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Northrop Grumman Foundation & REC Foundation to Create New Robotics Teams

Wednesday, February 6th, 2013

Northrop Grumman Foundation provides $2 million grant to support VEX Robotics Competition expansion in new locations worldwide

The Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation and the Northrop Grumman Foundation today announced a partnership to establish 200 new VEX Robotics Competition teams in locations worldwide and support the program’s outreach. In addition, the partnership will support the VEX Robotics Competition World Championship in Anaheim, Calif., April 17-20, an event that will attract more than 700 teams and 15,000 students for three days of robotics engineering competition.

“Our partnership with the Northrop Grumman Foundation illustrates our shared objective to advance student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics [STEM] through accessible hands-on robotics engineering programs,” said Jason Morrella, president, REC Foundation. “We are grateful to the Northrop Grumman Foundation for its support and commitment to STEM, and we look forward to expanding our reach to students and schools in need across the United States and internationally.”

“We’re delighted with the continued growth of this program,” said Sandra Evers-Manly, president of the Northrop Grumman Foundation. “The competitions are fun and challenging, and they are generating increasing interest in STEM with our young people, which is our goal.”

The REC Foundation is on target to increase to 7,000 teams – a 30 percent growth this year alone. The partnership with the Northrop Grumman Foundation will uniquely position the REC Foundation to respond to growing demand in communities in the U.S. and around the world with support for operational growth, events and new team grants. Locations targeted for expansion include: Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Baltimore, New York, Dallas, Florida and Mississippi. The Northrop Grumman Foundation will provide a $2 million grant over two years beginning in 2013.

The REC Foundation manages the VEX Robotics Competition, which student teams worldwide with hands-on, curriculum-based robotics engineering programs while also providing valuable teamwork and problem-solving experience. Teams compete year-round at more than 350 events that culminate in April at the VEX Robotics Competition World Championship.

The VEX Robotics Competition is the largest middle and high school robotics program in the world and is expected to reach more than 85,000 students during the 2012-2013 season. To learn more about the REC Foundation, please visit www.RoboticsEducation.org.

About the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation

The REC Foundation seeks to increase student interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by engaging students in hands-on, sustainable and affordable curriculum-based robotics engineering programs across the U.S. and internationally. The REC Foundation develops partnerships with K-12 education, higher education, government, industry and the nonprofit community to achieve this work.

About the Northrop Grumman Foundation

The Northrop Grumman Foundation supports diverse and sustainable programs for students and teachers. These programs create innovative education experiences in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. For more information please visit www.northropgrumman.com/foundation.

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VEX Robotics Relaunches VEXpro Product Line with over 120 New & Improved Products

Wednesday, December 5th, 2012

Competitive robotics teams to benefit from more options at a lower price

GREENVILLE, TEXAS (December 5, 2012) — VEX Robotics, Inc., announced today a full restructuring of its VEXpro product line with product updates and new releases, giving high-end competitive roboticists superior performance at a lower price. The release includes over 120 new products, including DC motors, gearboxes and wheels.

“We are extremely excited about the re-launch of our VEXpro product line,” said Paul Copioli, president of VEX Robotics. “Competitive robotics teams that build large-scale robots can now do more for significantly less cost.”

Highlights of the VEXpro line include – VEXpro Ball Shifters that utilize a ball lock shifting method accomplished with a lightweight and compact pancake pneumatic cylinder that is included, VersaPlanetary gearboxes that allow for multitudes of gear ratio options and motor choices without requiring a custom pinion gear, and the VersaHub system that ensures precise alignment of wheels and sprockets with the high quality nature of all VEXpro gears and sprockets.

“Competitive robotics enthusiasts will be highly impressed by all of the subtle details in these new products,” said John V-Neun, director of product development for VEX Robotics. “We designed the new VEXpro products to be easily integrated into almost any application, with no frustration or workarounds required.”

The updates to the VEXpro product line launch just in time for the 2013 FIRST Robotics Competition season, of which VEX Robotics and parent company Innovation First International are proud supporters. The companies donate products to the competition’s kit of parts and provide support and mentors to competition teams.

For information about VEXpro, visit www.vexpro.com

About VEX Robotics, Inc.
VEX Robotics, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Innovation First International, is a leading provider of educational and competitive robotics products to middle schools, high schools, colleges and robotics teams around the world. The VEX Robotics Design System, winner of the 2006 Best of Innovations Award at CES, was built from the ground up and designed to be an affordable, accessible and scalable platform used to teach science, technology, engineering and math education worldwide. The VEXpro product line, designed for large scale competitive robots, gives robotics enthusiasts superior performance for less cost. The company has over 250 man years of experience supporting educational robotics programs and extensive engineering resources on two continents dedicated to the VEX Robotics platform. For more information on VEX Robotics, visit www.vexrobotics.com.

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VEX Robotics & IFI Increase Support of FRC Teams

Monday, November 5th, 2012

VEX Robotics and its parent company, Innovation First International (IFI), have been strong supporters of the FIRST Robotics Competition for more than 14 years. Each year, the company provides mentors, team sponsorship opportunities and is an official supplier for the FRC Kit of Parts.

For the 2013 season, Innovation First International has taken strides to support FRC teams more profoundly by increasing its Kit of Parts donation. In addition, we are excited to announce that from December 5, 2012 – April 15, 2013, FRC teams will be able to purchase the new Victor 888 motor controller from VEX Robotics for only $50.

We understand that many FRC teams operate with limited resources, and this new pricing is intended to help teams purchase the additional motor controllers they need for the upcoming season, without going over their budget. Various IFI stickers will be included in every FRC Kit of Parts so teams who take advantage of this donation can show appreciation by placing them on their robot.

We wish all teams the best in the upcoming season!

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UNITED STATES, CANADA, CHINA AND NEW ZEALAND TEAMS REIGN SUPREME AT THE VEX ROBOTICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Monday, April 18th, 2011

MYTHBUSTERS & HEAD RUSH Host Kari Byron Celebrates Future Innovators at the Ultimate Robotics Competition of the 2010-2011 VEX Robotics Season

Sterling Heights, Mich. – April 18, 2010 – Participants of the 2011 VEX Robotics World Championship were joined this weekend by Kari Byron, host of the Discovery Channel’s hit show MYTHBUSTERS and the Science Channel’s HEAD RUSH, as winning alliances from the Middle School, High School and College competitions triumphed from United States, Canada, China and New Zealand, after outmaneuvering some of the world’s best teams during the intense three-day tournament which took place on April 14-16 at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla.

Upon arrival, students were showered with confetti from bursting canons, welcomed by stilt walkers, a resident DJ, and entertained by a graffiti artist that painting the town robo-red in honor of the intense competition. The games kicked off on Thursday and continued Friday when teams from around the world poured into the stadium for the opening ceremonies, waving colorful flags from their respective countries and hailed by Mickey and friends. “There was so much energy and talent at this year’s VEX Robotics World Championship that it inspired us both on and off the field,” said Grace Hsieh of the winning high school champion alliance from team W.A.S.A.B.I. 2 hailing from Bellevue, Washington. “It was an amazing experience to meet and compete with some of the best teams from all over the world.”

After a series of intense back-to-back matches and elimination rounds, the High School Champion alliance emerged with teams comprised of Massachusetts’ Green Egg Robotics Club, Washington’s W.A.S.A.B.I. 2 and Ontario, Canada’s Simbotics teams. The Middle School Champion represented an alliance of China teams from Sichuan Chengdu Longjiang Road Primary School and the Shanghai Luwan Teenagers Activity Center. The College Championship title went to Massey University from New Zealand. In addition, one team from each of the three divisions was presented with an Excellence Award, the highest honor in the VEX Robotics Competition, given to the team with the most well-rounded VEX Robotics Program. Middle School, High School and College Excellence Award winners included, the VEXMEN: NightCrawler team from Downingtown Area Robotics in Downingtown, Pa., the Cheesy Poofs from Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose, Calif., and Massey University in New Zealand.

“As the fastest growing robotics program and largest middle and high school competition in the world, the VEX Robotics World Championship is a testament to the increasing interest in engaging kids in STEM education through robotics,” said Jason Morrella, president of the REC Foundation, which stands for Robotics Education and Competition Foundation. “Robotics is a perfect model for workforce development, and it’s critical that we prepare our youth to succeed in today’s rapidly-advancing competitive world, by imbedding programs like VEX Robotics into daytime curriculum, and then enabling them to test their skills as an extracurricular activity in events like this.”

The VEX Robotics World Championship was the pinnacle event of the 2010-2011 VEX Robotics Competition season, brought together by the non-profit REC Foundation, VEX Robotics, Inc. and their partners Autodesk, NASA, EMC, Northrop Grumman and Innovation First International. The event drew more than 10,000 middle school, high school and university participants representing 16 countries from around the world, and teams created customized robots built with the VEX Robotics Design System to compete against the best of the best playing the 2010-2011 season game Round Up.

In addition to the Excellence Awards and Middle School, High School and College Champion titles, several other technical and value based awards were presented to teams and individuals in each division for excelling in the following categories: Build, Community, Create, Design, Education, Energy, Future, Innovate, Inspire, Judges, Promote, Sportsmanship, Support, Teamwork, Think, Robot Skills Challenges, Mentor of the Year, Partner of the Year, Teacher of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

BEST Robotics, a middle and high school national robotics program established in 1993, also hosted its second annual national championship alongside the VEX Robotics World Championship. The Boy Scouts of America were on hand toaward some of the first Robotics Merit Badges to more than 25 deserving scouts. Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy AROW hosted its water robotics competition.

Presenting co-sponsors of the 2011 VEX Robotics Competition World Championship include Autodesk Inc., NASA, EMC Corporation, and the FUTURE Foundation. Additional supporting partners include Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation, Microchip, Intelitek, Robotics Academy at Carnegie Mellon University, the CREATE Foundation and Northrop Grumman.

The 2011/2012 VEX Robotics Competition game Gateway was unveiled after much anticipation at the tournament. The object of next year’s game is to attain a higher score than your opponent by picking up colored balls and barrels and placing them in circular goalposts of varying heights.

For more information about the VEX Robotics World Championship and this year’s award winners, please visit RobotEvents.com/championship.

ATTENTION TELEVISION AND WEB MEDIA

VEX Robotics World Championship b-roll supplementing this release is available for local television and web use. Interested media can access the b-roll package and photographs at vexroboticsworldchampionship2011.com/.

About REC Foundation

The REC Foundation, standing for Robotics Education and Competition, is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, supports robotics and technology events and programs that aim to inspire and motivate students to advance in STEM education. In addition to supporting competitions for some of the world’s leading robotics platforms and organizations including VEX, TSA, BOTBALL and BEST, the foundation also provides program support and workshops focused on technology and professional development for educators – including the RobotEvents.com community portal website which helps promote multiple high quality programs and provides online registration and event pages for hundreds of events around the world.

About VEX Robotics and Innovation First International

VEX Robotics, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Innovation First International, is a leading provider of educational robotics products to middle schools, high schools and colleges around the world. The VEX Robotics Design System, winner of the 2006 Best of Innovations Award at CES, was built from the ground up and designed to be an affordable, accessible and scalable platform used to teach science, technology, engineering and math education worldwide. The company has over 250 man years of experience supporting educational robotics programs and extensive engineering resources on two continents dedicated to the VEX Robotics platform. For more information on the VEX Robotics Design System, visit vexrobotics.com.

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VEX World Championship Winners PR Release

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VEX ROBOTICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POWERS UP AT WALT DISNEY WORLD’S ESPN WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS COMPLEX ON APRIL 14-16, 2011

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011

Academics Take Center Stage as Thousands of Students Unite to Compete in the World’s Largest Robotics Movement

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – April 12, 2011 – Celebrating National Robotics Week, nearly 10,000 middle school, high school and university participants from 16 countries around the world will compete in the action-packed 2011 VEX Robotics World Championship, to be held with free admission to the general public at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World® Resort near Orlando, Florida on April 14-16, 2011. Giving the event mainstream recognition similar to that of an international sporting event, the Boy Scouts of America will be in attendance along with Congressman Ralph Hall. Talent from The Discovery Channel’s MYTHBUSTERS series and host of The Science Channel’s hit show HEAD RUSH, Kari Byron, will serve as master of ceremonies to guide teams and spectators through the final award ceremony on the last day of competition.

“We are excited to welcome our distinguished guests and premier event partners including Autodesk, NASA and EMC Corporation into Disney’s impressive global arena as we join together in celebrating the accomplishments of these powerful young minds,” said Jason Morrella, president of the REC Foundation. “The magnitude of attendees at this year’s event speaks to the strength of the VEX Robotics Competition as a perfect model for educational robotics and workforce development. There are now over 100,000 students using VEX Robotics worldwide, showing the empowering effect it is having on participating schools, students and the international community.”

The VEX Robotics program is in support of The White House’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) initiative to get kids engaged in higher learning, and recently received attention from President Obama who visited a Miami Central High School classroom where he interacted with students excelling in STEM education through VEX Robotics. To show his support at the World Championship, Congressman Ralph Hall, senior member of the US House of Representatives and chair of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology – which funds NASA and the National Science Foundation – will cheer teams on, alongside other keynote attendees including Mele Williams, staff director of the Subcommittee on Research and Science Education; executives from Boy Scouts of America; and, of course, Mickey Mouse and friends.

As the fastest growing robotics program in the world, the VEX Robotics Competition is organized by the REC Foundation, and the 2011 VEX Robotics World Championship serves as the final event of the 2010- 2011 competition season. This year, almost 600 out of the nearly 4,000 VEX Robotics Competition teams have earned the right to bring their robotic masterpieces to the “Happiest Place on Earth” where they will form strategic alliances with other teams and challenge their toughest competitors playing the game Round Up. All attending teams qualified for the tournament after dedicating countless hours to honing their building, programming and strategy skill sets to outperform others in order to reach the international stage.

In addition to the middle and high school VEX Robotics Competitions, the 2011 VEX Robotics World Championship will put 35 university teams in the spotlight as they strive for the VEX Robotics College Challenge World Champion title. The BEST Robotics Competition National Championship will take place in the Jostens Center, and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy AROW water robotics competition will be heldat Champion Stadium. Boy Scouts of America will host a booth on Saturday, April 16, to showcase the new Robotics Merit Badge, and more than 20 scouts will be in attendance, aiming to be some of the first to complete the robotics merit badge requirements and receive the newly debuted badge from scout executives during the final award ceremony Saturday afternoon.

Partners and sponsors of the 2011 VEX Robotics Competition World Championship include Autodesk, NASA, EMC Corporation, Intelitek, Innovation First International, iD Tech Camps, the REC Foundation, Automation Direct, Northrop Grumman, Microchip, the United States Coast Guard Academy, and the Robotics Academy at Carnegie Mellon University.

Round Up, the 2010-2011 VEX Robotics Competition Game, is played on a 12’x12’ square field where two alliances composed of two teams each compete against one another. Each match consists of a twenty-second autonomous period where robots are controlled by onboard software, followed by two minutes of human-operated play. Fans can follow the competition and sign up for real-time competition news and results via live streamcasts, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube updates. For more information visit RobotEvents.com/championship.

About REC Foundation

The REC Foundation, standing for Robotics Education and Competition, is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, supports robotics and technology events and programs that aim to inspire and motivate students to advance in STEM education. In addition to supporting competitions for some of the world’s leading robotics platforms and organizations including VEX, TSA, BOTBALL and BEST, the foundation also provides program support and workshops focused on technology and professional development for educators – including the RobotEvents.com community portal website which helps promote multiple high quality programs and provides online registration and event pages for hundreds of events around the world.

About VEX Robotics and Innovation First International

VEX Robotics, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Innovation First International, is a leading provider of educational robotics products to middle schools, high schools and colleges around the world. The VEX Robotics Design System, winner of the 2006 Best of Innovations Award at CES, was built from the ground up and designed to be an affordable, accessible and scalable platform used to teach science, technology, engineering and math education worldwide. The company has over 250 man years of experience supporting educational robotics programs and extensive engineering resources on two continents dedicated to the VEX Robotics platform. For more information on the VEX Robotics Design System, visit VEXRobotics.com.

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VEX World Champs Kick Off Press Release

 

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The REC Foundation Announces 2011 VRC Online Challenge Winners

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Top Prizes Include Six Coveted Spots at the 2011 VRC World Championship & Thousands of Dollars in State of the Art VEX Equipment

STERLING HEIGHTS, MI – March 30, 2011 – Top VEX Robotics teams from around the world spent three months strategically crafting detailed submissions for the VRC Online Challenges. In advance of the highly-anticipated 2011 VEX Robotics Competition World Championship, the REC Foundation announced winners and finalists of the six sponsored online challenges. The top-ranking entrant in each of the online challenges received a coveted spot at the 2011 VRC World Championships, scheduled to take place on April 14-16 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World® Resort near Orlando, Florida. Top finalists of each challenge were also recognized for their teamwork and achievements with gift cards to vexrobotics.com in values of $250, $500 and $750. Students also entered the VEX- sponsored online essay contest, for which the top 10 entrants received $50 gift cards.

“These Online Challenges activate the global VEX Robotics community and foster widespread participation from teams of all sizes and with varying levels of expertise and specific strengths,” said Jason Morella, president of the REC Foundation. “Thanks to our sponsors, students get the chance to apply themselves to one or more categories they most enjoy, whether it’s website design, communications and public relations, video design or written storytelling. Most importantly, these online competitions teach students the importance of presentation and the amount of time and energy that goes into creating a final, polished product.”

VEX Robotics, Inc, Autodeski, EMC Corporation, and the FUTURE Foundation sponsored the robotics and animation online competition, which challenged students to create a final product that related to furthering robotics and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in multiple applications. The majority of teams will be able to use their submissions in real-world applications, further enhancing the value of participating in the challenges.

“Our goal is to help students embrace STEM education through hands-on learning in the classroom, with hopes that they seek out higher education and careers in design and engineering,” said Joe Astroth, chief education officer for Autodesk. “We are continuously inspired by our students who push the limits of the Autodesk Inventor program to seamlessly transform an idea into a fully formed virtual prototype.”

In the Autodesk Inventor 2011 Digital Prototyping Challenge, the three dominating designs included a “VEX Urban Explorer” robotic prototype that could successfully navigate multiple types of terrain including stairs, “The Rookie” robotic prototype designed to dispose of bombs by getting the suspicious object out of the building quickly and efficiently, and the “Mars Sampler Rover” robotic prototype intended to collect samples and transfer specimens to a test tube.

Team Exothermic Haiku from Redmond, Washington received first place in the VEX Robotics Design a Game Animation Challenge for their game “Ring Rolled.” “This was a difficult challenge, and it drew on the talents of every member of our team. We worked together to invent a game, define the rules and scoring, and create the animation, music, and narration. It’s only a three-minute video, but it sure took a lot longer than that to produce,” said Adam Young, the 11th grade chief animator of team 575 from Redmond High School. “Now that the animation is done, we have to finish our real robot for the World Championship.”

The complete list of VRC Online Challenges included: The Autodesk Inventor 2011 Digital Prototyping Challenge, the VRC Promote Award, the VEX Robotics Design and Game Animation Challenge, the FUTURE Foundation Design Challenge, the EMC Robotics Team/Club Website Challenge, the RECF Team Educational Video, and the VEX Robotics Essay Challenge. Teams that qualified for the 2011 VRC World Championship came from San Jose, California; Lawrenceville, Georgia; Wallingford, Connecticut; Redmond, Washington; Guarulhos, Brazil and Auckland, New Zealand. For a list of all entrants, prize descriptions, finalists, and the winners, visit http://forum.robotevents.com/design/.

About REC

The Robotics Education and Competition Foundation, a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, supports robotics and technology events and programs that aim to inspire and motivate students to advance in STEM education. In addition tosupporting competitions for some of the world’s leading robotics platforms and organizations including VEX, TSA, BOTBALL and BEST, the foundation also provides program support and workshops focused on technology and professional development for educators – including the RobotEvents.com community portal website which helps promote multiple high quality programs and provides online registration and event pages for hundreds of events around the world.

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VRC Online Challenge Winners Release

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