GREENVILLE, TX – March 3, 2017 – The Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the 2017 Online Challenges, which encourage students to take what they’ve learned through VEX Competitions and apply it to areas such as video creation, engineering design, website development, and photography. Students who submit to the Online Challenges have an opportunity to share their ideas, win prizes, and some receive a chance to compete at the VEX Robotics World Championship.
 
For the first time, young women were invited to share their personal journey through the, “Girl Powered: In Her Words Storybook Challenge.” This Online Challenge represents a joint initiative between the REC Foundation and VEX Robotics to double the involvement of young women in robotics by 2020.
 
“It’s thrilling to see the outstanding work that talented students from around the world present through these submissions, and I would like to applaud all who participated,” said Jason Morrella, President, the REC Foundation. “The participants of the 2017 Online Challenges are students who have learned technical and real world 21^st century skills by being involved in STEM endeavors, including robotics, that will shape them into problem-solving leaders of tomorrow.”
 
The first-place winners of the 2017 Online Challenges are as follows:
 

Make It Real CAD Engineering Challenge, Sponsored by Autodesk:

• VEX U: The VEX Two-Speed Transmission, Engineering Freaks, PR S of Tech, Puerto Rico
• VEX Robotics Competition (HS): The Standoff Slide Truck, The Resistance, Nibot Robotics, California
• VEX Robotics Competition (MS): VEX License Plate Holster, Iron Eagles, Brentwood Academy, Tennessee

Dell Technologies Robotics Team/Club Website Challenge:

• Viking Colt Robotics, Team 8931A, Viking Colt Robotics Club, Lake Stevens High and Cavelero Mid-High School, Washington

Texas Instruments Electronics Online Challenge:

• Dell Printer Disassembly, Team 9447A, Team Toss Up, Palmetto Scholars Academy, South Carolina

FUTURE Foundation Robot Construction Challenge:

• The Gomi-Betsu Bot, Team 99484B, Knights, Christian Academy in Japan, Tokyo, Japan

Girl Powered: In Her Words Storybook Challenge:

• Finding My Words…An Adventure in VEX Robotics, Team 8926, Combined IQ, Oakbrook Preparatory School, South Carolina

V5RC Game Design Animation Challenge:

• VEX Stackup – 2017-2018 VEX Robotics Competition Game, Team 8787, Eastwood Robotics, Eastwood High School, Texas

VEX IQ Challenge Promote Award:

• Take the Challenge!, Team 92P, VEXMEN: Phoenix, Brandywine Robotics, Pennsylvania

VEX Robotics Competition Promote Award:

• 1356X Worlds Promote Video 2017 “New Kind of Athlete”, 1356X, Parkview Xecution, Parkview High School, Georgia

REC Foundation STEM Educational Video Challenge:

• The LCD Screen, Team 1666, Renegade Robotics, California

VEX Robotics Photography Challenge:

• Top Ten Winners of Photography Challenge

Robomatter VEX IQ & V5RC Programming Skills Challenge for Robot Virtual Worlds:

• VEX IQ Challenge Crossover Robot Virtual Worlds: Team 1155B, MS of Gao Xin 2, Xi’an Gaoxin No. 1 Middle School, China
• VEX Robotics Competition Starstruck Robot Virtual Worlds: Team 1138B, Eagle Engineering, Chaminade College Preparatory, California

The winning students and teams will be presented their awards at the VEX Robotics World Championship, which will take place in Louisville, Ky. on April 19-25. Recognized as the largest robotics competition in the world, the VEX Robotics World Championship will unite 1,400 of the best robotics teams internationally who will gather to compete for the title of “World Champion” for the VEX IQ Challenge, VEX Robotics Competition, and VEX U. For more information about VEX Worlds, please visit www.VEXworlds.com. For more information about the REC Foundation, please visit www.RoboticsEducation.org or www.RobotEvents.com.
 
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.
 

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