ROCKWALL, Texas – June 26, 2014 – The Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation and Friends of Hawaii Robotics today announced that the International VEX Robotics Summer Games will welcome over 100 elementary, middle and high school teams from seven countries, including: Canada, China, Colombia, Egypt, Lebanon, Mexico and the United States.
The event, which takes place at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu on July 10-12, 2014, marks the last official tournament of the 2013-14 competition season and the first official tournament of the 2014-15 competition season.
Teams participating in the 2013-14 season game will be playing VEX Robotics Competition (V5RC) Toss Up and VEX IQ Challenge (VIQC) Add It Up. Others will be participating in V5RC Skyrise, for the chance to be among the first to qualify for the 2015 VEX Robotics World Championship.
The 2014 International VEX Robotics Summer Games is organized and managed by Friends of Hawaii Robotics in conjunction with the Hawaii State VEX Steering Committee and the REC Foundation. The event is sponsored and presented by Oceanic Time Warner Cable, the U.S. Navy, and the Northrop Grumman Foundation. Verizon will showcase VGo – a telepresent robot that helps expand the educational experience for students almost anywhere – and other innovative wireless education solutions.
“The International VEX Robotics Summer Games will be a phenomenal experience for students around the world to compete in three days of thrilling robotics engineering challenges that celebrates their passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM),” said Jason Morrella, president, REC Foundation.
“Oceanic Time Warner Cable (OTWC), and its employees, are ‘all in’ as it relates to the building of STEM education, specifically robotics, in the State of Hawaii. Friends of Hawaii Robotics has shown its heart for Hawaii students by ensuring more opportunities are available to grow their scholastic skills. We are excited to play a key role with this exciting, new tournament,” said Gregg Fujimoto, president, OTWC.
The International VEX Robotics Summer Games accommodates the exponential growth of the VEX IQ Challenge and the VEX Robotics Competition, which includes more than 10,000 teams, by providing new competition opportunities for teams at critical times of the year.
“Friends of Hawaii Robotics is honored to be working with the REC Foundation to host such a high profile inaugural event in Hawaii,” said Lenny Klompus, chair and president, Friends of Hawaii Robotics. “Hawaii is perfectly positioned geographically for student robotics teams from around the world to gather, collaborate, and compete. This international event reinforces Hawaii’s important role in the ever-growing robotics community, as highlighted by the participation of teams from North America, SouthAmerica and as far away as Egypt and Lebanon.”
More information about the International VEX Robotics Summer Games and other events can be found at www.robotevents.com. More information about the International VEX Robotics Summer Games and other events can be found at www.robotevents.com.
About the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) 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 the Friends of Hawaii Robotics
Friends of Hawaii Robotics is a registered, Hawaii 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, non-partisan organization that supports Hawaii schools nine robotics programs. Recognizing the importance of promoting robotics at an early age and sustaining students’ interest in STEM education, “Friends” volunteer Board of Directors is laser-focused in their dedication to Hawaii’s students in elementary, middle and high school. Their mission, and year-round commitment, is to create opportunities for students to develop essential 21st-century real-world life skills, preparing them to become Hawaii’s leaders of tomorrow. For more information, visit www.friendsofhawaiirobotics.org
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