Volunteers are needed to help staff the FIRST Tech Challenge, a regional robotics championship for high school students hosted by Missouri University of Science and Technology on Saturday, Feb. 23.

The competition will be held at the Missouri S&T Student Recreation Center. The center adjoins the Gale Bullman Multi-Purpose Building at 10th Street and Bishop Avenue (U.S. Highway 63).

Volunteers should plan to arrive by 7:30 a.m. The competition is expected to end by 5 p.m., although some assignments may end by 1 p.m. Lunch will be provided for all registered volunteers.

All volunteers are required to register with FIRST’s St. Louis regional office. To register online, visit http://www.stlfirst.org/GetInvolved/EventVolunteers/FTCVolunteers/tabid/255/Default.aspx. Volunteers will be contacted with job assignments prior to the event and training will be provided the morning of the event.

The FIRST Tech Challenge is a nationwide robotics competition involving teams of up to 10 students between the ages of 14-18 in grades 9-12. Each team designs, builds and programs robots for a tournament-style competition.

Thirty-six teams from throughout Missouri are expected to take part in the Missouri S&T event. This marks the third year S&T has hosted the regional event.

Participants in this year’s competition – titled “Ring it up” – will use their robots to place plastic rings onto pegs on a rack in the center of a 12-foot diamond-shaped field. The teams will be challenged to complete tasks during autonomous and driver-controlled periods, and can find special “weighted” rings to earn bonus points.

“Missouri S&T is proud of our longtime association with FIRST, and many of our current students participated in these robotics competitions when they were in high school,” says Dr. Cheryl B. Schrader, Missouri S&T chancellor. “Our mission of preparing students to solve society’s technological challenges is in perfect alignment with FIRST. We look forward to hosting the FIRST Tech Challenge.”

Nearly 100 members of Missouri S&T’s freshman class participated in FIRST robotics programs.

For more information about volunteering for the FIRST Tech Challenge at Missouri S&T, contact Dr. Paul Hirtz, interim director of the Student Design and Experiential Learning Center at Missouri S&T, at hirtz@mst.edu or by calling 573-341-4029.

For more information about FIRST and the FIRST Tech Challenge visit www.usfirst.org.