NVTC FOUNDATION SUPPORTS LOCAL STUDENTS IN HIGH TECH COMPETITION

Nearly 50 Washington Area High Schools to Participate in Botball 2003
May 1, 2003, Herndon, VA - They may not use a remote control hammer on wheels to defeat their opponent (as seen on TV), but the students competing in this year's Botball tournament know more than a thing or two about competitive robotics.

Sponsored by the Northern Virginia Technology Council Foundation and presented by the KISS Institute for Practical Robotics, Botball 2003 was held on Saturday May 3, 2003 at the University of Maryland's Ritchie Coliseum in College Park, MD. This year, 49 area middle and high school teams went head to head in this fast paced robotics competition designed to engage students in learning the practical applications of science, technology, engineering and math through robot building and programming.

"The NVTC Foundation looks forward to Botball every year," said Tim Nurvala, NVTC Foundation President. "We have seen Botball participants get excited about learning, and even go on to internships with technology companies and pursue degrees in engineering."

The teams have six weeks to design, build and program a robot. Programming the machines in C, the students create their robots compete on a 4x8 game board and score points by moving colored balls into scoring position. Each school's team of two robots must turn themselves on and off, react to their opponent and maneuver on the game board without the use of remote controls.

To create these high tech robots, participants use one-part LegoÆ Mindstormsô robot kit, two-part laptop and a whole lot of wit. KISS supplies teams with reusable robotics equipment, computer software, tech support, curriculum and professional development workshops. The cost of participation is $2,000 per team, but locally, the Northern Virginia Technology Council encourages member companies to sponsor teams. Additionally, many companies offer engineering professionals to mentor and coach teams.

The NVTC Foundation contributed $10,000 to sponsor the tournament and help ensure its success. Other local sponsors of the event include NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Naval Research Lab, ASG and the Fairfax County Public Schools Education Foundation.

Botball began with Seeding Rounds at 10:00 a.m. followed by the Double Elimination Tournament at approximately 1:30 p.m.

Winners of this year's tournament were: Wootton High School from Rockville, MD; Springbrook High School from Silver Spring, MD; Glen Burnie High School, Glen Burnie, MD; Applications and Research Laboratory, Ellicot City, MD; and Congressional School of Virginia, Falls Church, VA.

-----

About the NVTC Foundation
The NVTC Foundation was founded to encourage and facilitate corporate efforts to give something back to the community and specifically looks for community initiatives based in Northern Virginia that include technology as an important component in their mission. It is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization and contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. The NVTC Foundation is affiliated with the Northern Virginia Technology Council, a membership organization of more than 1,300 companies representing nearly 170,000 people involved in the technology industry in the Northern Virginia region. More information about the programs that it supports can be found on its Web site at www.nvtc.org/foundation.