Grand Valley hosts 40 teams at FIRST Robotics Competition

More than 1,000 students on 40 high school teams from around the state competed in the “varsity sport for the mind” at Grand Valley State University March 21-22.

The For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics West Michigan District Competition was a high-energy event that was filled with many strong visuals. Teams competed with the robots they built and designed. Teams had six weeks to build the robots with a kit of common parts.  

Founded in 1989, FIRST Robotics helps students get hands-on experience solving real-world problems; they get to discover the excitement and rewards of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers. One-hundred universities including Grand Valley offer scholarships to FIRST participants. FIRST Robotics includes 67,500 students in grades 9-12 on 2,700 teams across the country.