HAWAI`I TO HOST INAUGURAL VEX ROBOTICS PAN-PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIP, DECEMBER 4-6, 2008

For Immediate Release: November 25, 2008

HONOLULU – More than 800 middle school and high school students from Hawai‘i, the U.S. Mainland, China and Japan will descend upon the Hawai‘i Convention Center from December 4-6, 2008 for the Inaugural VEX Robotics Pan-Pacific Championship.  The event is free and open to the public.

The team-based robotics competition will put students’ engineering and high-tech skills to the test in three non-stop, action-packed days of competition with robots created from the VEX Robotics Design System. 

For the past several months, students, with guidance from their teachers and mentors, have been working together to build innovative robots designed to solve a set of difficult challenges presented in the game.  During the competition, 83 student teams from 65 Hawai‘i, mainland and Asian schools will square off in the game of “Elevation.”  The object of the “Elevation” challenge is to place cubes into goals of various heights, or “elevations,” and to “own” goals by having the highest cube in a given goal. The teams’ robots that can reach to the highest heights most effectively and efficiently will dominate.  Team scores can be enhanced by “parking” on the platform or by “controlling” the bonus cube.

Ten teams from the VEX Pan-Pacific Championship will advance to the VEX Robotics World Championship taking place at the Dallas Convention Center and Arena April 30-May 2, 2009.  At the World Championship, these winning teams will have the opportunity to challenge their top-ranked peers from other countries around the world, including countries from the Asian Robotics League, South America and Europe.

“Students who participate in robotics programs are gaining valuable lessons in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, while also honing their critical thinking skills and their ability to develop innovative solutions,” said Lt. Governor James R. “Duke” Aiona, Jr.  “Robotics education provides students with a fun way to learn, while setting the foundation that will shape their careers and build future leaders.  Governor Lingle and I encourage all Hawai‘i residents to support our students at the VEX Robotics Pan-Pacific Championship as they gain the skills, experience and confidence that will help meet future challenges and opportunities facing our state.”

Robotics education is a key component of the Lingle-Aiona Administration’s Hawai‘i Innovation Initiative, which seeks to transform Hawai‘i’s economy from one based on land development to one based on the innovative capacity of Hawai‘i’s residents, especially our youth. Robotics provides students with a strong educational foundation in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and offers them opportunities to solve problems, work as teams and think analytically – skills useful in any career. 

VEX Robotics is one of six major programs in which Hawai‘i students can participate.  The six programs include VEX, FIRST Robotics, FIRST LEGO League, Botball, Underwater Remote Operating Vehicle (ROV), and Micro Robotics.

Recognizing the importance of promoting robotics at an early age and sustaining students' interest in STEM education throughout their schooling, the six robotics programs which previously operated autonomously earlier this year joined together to form the Hawai‘i Robotics Organizing Committee (ROC) (www.robotics.hawaii.gov).  This is the first time all six of the robotics programs have coordinated their efforts to promote robotics education in elementary, middle and high schools statewide. 

As a result of this increased focus on robotics education, the number of robotics programs in Hawai‘i’s public, private and charter schools has increased dramatically since January of this year, from 95 schools in January to 282 today – a 196% increase.  The growth has been facilitated by the tremendous support from all sectors of the community, including the Lingle-Aiona Administration; Hawai‘i businesses; engineering and technology associations; the University of Hawai‘i and community colleges statewide; the state’s public, private and charter school organizations; NASA; the U.S. military; and private citizens.

In March of this year, the Lingle-Aiona Administration hosted the Inaugural 2008 NASA / BAE Systems FIRST in Hawai‘i Regional Robotics Competition at the University of Hawai‘i Stan Sheriff Center.  That competition attracted 700 students representing 37 high schools from Hawai‘i, California, Florida, New Jersey and West Virginia.  A record six Hawai‘i teams advanced to the FIRST Championship – called the “Super Bowl of Smarts” – in Atlanta, Georgia in April. The 2009 NASA / BAE Systems FIRST in Hawai‘i Regional Robotics Competition is scheduled for March 26-28, 2009.

83 teams (more than 800 students) from 65 Hawai‘i, California, China and Japan schools will compete in the VEX Robotics Pan-Pacific Championship, December 4-6, 2008 at the Hawai‘i Convention Center:

O‘ahu
Campbell High School
Dole Middle School
Farrington High School
Hawai'i Baptist Academy
Highlands Intermediate School
‘Iolani School
Kaiser High School
Kamehameha Schools
Kapolei High School
Maryknoll High School
McKinley High School
Mid-Pacific Institute
Moanalua High School
Nanakuli High and Intermediate School
Pearl City High School
Radford High School
Radford H.S. – Engineering & Technology Academy
Sacred Hearts Academy
St Andrew’s Priory
St. Andrew's Priory School
St. Louis High School
Stevenson Middle School
Wahiawa Middle School
Waipahu High School
Waipahu Intermediate School
Washington Middle School
Wheeler Middle School

Maui
Baldwin High School
Iao School
King Kekaulike High School
Lahainaluna High School
Maui High School

Moloka‘i
Moloka‘i High School

Kaua‘i
Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School
Island School
Kanuikapono Public Charter School
Kapa‘a High School
Kaua'i High School
Waimea High School

Hawai‘i
East Hawai‘i Robotics Alliance
Hawai‘i Academy of Arts and Science
Hilo High School
Honoka‘a High and Intermediate School
Hualalai Academy
Kea‘au High School
Kealakehe High School
Kohala High School
Parker School
Waiakea High School
Waialua High and Intermediate School

U.S. Mainland
Chaminade College Preparatory, West Hills, CA
Bellarmine Preparatory, San Jose, CA
California Academy of Mathematics & Science, Carson, CA


International

CHINA
Pearl Middle School Attached to NNU
Renmin University High School
Fuxing Senior High School
Nanjing Jinling High School
Jiangsu Suzhou Xinggang School
Suzhou CYREA
Huaiyin Middle School in Jiangsu
Changzhou Huangli Primary School
Ivy Experimental High School
Hunan Xiangtan Qimeng School
Middle School of Chang De City

JAPAN
American School in Japan



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For more information, contact:
Lenny Klompus
Senior Advisor – Communications
Phone: (808) 586-7708

Russell Pang   
Chief of Media Relations   
Phone: (808) 586-0043   

Corrie Heck
Chief Communications Officer
Phone: (808) 586-0718