Wichita State University will host the 19th annual Shocker MINDSTORMS Challenge, a robotics competition for 3rd-8th grade students from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, March 30, at the Heskett Center gymnasium.
The awards ceremonies for beginner teams will be held at 3 p.m., and for expert and intermediate teams at 5 p.m. in Hubbard Hall, Room 208, on the WSU campus.
The competition is drawing 33 teams this year with about 400 students registered. In addition, about 300 spectators are expected to attend.
Shocker MINDSTORMS is a joint effort of the WSU College of Engineering, the WSU College of Applied Studies, local industry, and the community. Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems are co-sponsors of the 2019 MINDSTORMS Challenge. Many student organizations, faculty members, professional educators, engineers, industry professionals, and other members of the community volunteer their time to make this event a success.
The Shocker MINDSTORMS Challenge is open to the public. Spectators, parents, grandparents, friends, classmates, engineers, and educators are invited to attend.
Students spend months preparing for the Shocker MINDSTORMS Challenge, developing their science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills, as well as teamwork, sportsmanship and communication. On competition day, teams try to score the most points by running LEGO robots through obstacle courses designed by College of Engineering students.
Teams are also required to demonstrate what they have learned through team presentations, team interviews, and team notebooks. The day’s events will culminate in an awards ceremony to recognize students and coaches and celebrate their success.
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The mission of Wichita State University is to be an essential educational, cultural and economic driver for Kansas and the greater public good. Wichita State is a doctoral research university enrolling nearly 15,000 students and offering 59 undergraduate degree programs in more than 150 areas of study in seven undergraduate colleges. The Graduate School offers 45 master's and 12 doctoral degrees that offer study in more than 100 areas. Wichita State's Innovation Campus is an interconnected community of partnership buildings, laboratories and mixed-use areas where students, faculty, staff, entrepreneurs and businesses have access to the university's vast resources and technology. For more information, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/wichitastate and Facebook at www.facebook.com/wichita.state.