CANBERRA, Australia – August 2014 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) in partnership with the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation are pleased to announce the launch of the first Australian/New Zealand VEX Robotics Exhibition and Workshop. Veteran teams from New Zealand will join many newly developed teams from Australia at Dickson College, Dickson ACT, on the 23rd and 24th of August for an educational experience as part of National Science Week.
The Australian/New Zealand VEX Robotics Exhibition and Workshop is free and open to all ages. With thanks to Dickson College in Canberra who will host this event in their large main hall.
VEX Robotics is the world’s fastest growing competitive robotics program for elementary schools, high schools and colleges around the world. In the 2013-14 season more than 10,000 teams from 33 countries participated in more than 800 VEX Robotics competitions worldwide. The competition season culminates each spring, with the highly-anticipated VEX Robotics World Championship presented by the Northrop Grumman Foundation and the REC Foundation, which unites top qualifying teams from local, state, regional and international VEX Robotics events.
The VEX Robotics Competition is sponsored by the Northrop Grumman Foundation, which in 2013 provided support to launch the program in Australia with the development of 12 initial teams and a championship event. This year we anticipate many new teams joining the excitement.
“Northrop Grumman has seen the growth and increased interest in robotics engineering programs on a local level and we are thrilled to support the VEX Robotics Competition in the community’s where our employees live, work and educate their children,” said Ian Irving, chief executive, Northrop Grumman Australia.
“The REC Foundation recognizes that successfully preparing our children for the future global economy will require a strong understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” said Jason Morrella, president of the REC Foundation. “Robotics engineering programs naturally engage and inspire students to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) subjects and careers and we are committed to providing them with high quality competition opportunities, like the VEX Robotics Competition, to accommodate their growing interest. We could not do this without the support of sponsors like Northrop Grumman that share our passion for technology education.”
For details on upcoming events, please visit www.RobotEvents.com, a unique resource for teams and event partners to register and share updates from their robotics competitions. For more information about the REC Foundation, please visit www.RoboticsEducation.org.
About the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation
The Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, 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, please visit www.recf.org or www.robotevents.com.
About Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide.