World’s Largest Robotics Championship Returns to Dallas Thursday Through May 3 » Dallas Innovates
Scene from a previous VEX Robotics World Championship event. [Photo: REC Foundation]
The robots are about to rock in Dallas.
Beginning Thursday, more than 20,000 students from all 50 states and more than 60 countries will be competing in high-energy, timed matches with their custom-built robots at the 2024 VEX Robotics World Championship. Hosted by the Northrop Grumman Foundation and the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation. the event will take run from April 25 through May 3 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas.
The annual event will bring together the top VEX IQ Robotics Competition, VEX Robotics Competition, and VEX U teams from around the world “to celebrate their accomplishments and participate in the 2023-2024 games to be crowned champions.” Competitors include teams from elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, the U.S. Army Junior ROTC, and colleges.
The 3-D video wall in the AT&T Discovery District in downtown Dallas is spotlighting the event with a massive teaser video you can see here.
Local schools will be represented at the competition
Besides all the teams traveling from around the world, competitors will be representing schools in the venue’s own back yard, too.
Just two examples:
A team from Dallas ISD’s Reinhardt Elementary School represents a bit of a family affair. The school’s robotics program was established by Peter Morrisey, a kindergarten teacher at the school, whose daughter Isbela, a bilingual third-grader, is part of the team competing in this year’s competition. Peter’s wife couldn’t be more proud—because she’s also the principal at Reinhardt.
Mesquite’s new Vanguard High School will have four different teams competing at the event—including an all-girls team of Hispanic and Black students, underscoring “the importance of representation and empowerment in the STEM landscape,” according to the competition. One member, Leila, is also a JROTC leader, the competition noted—adding that currently, only 2% of STEM jobs are held by Hispanic women and 1.8% by Black women.
The REC Foundation is based in Greenville
The REC Foundation, one of the competition’s sponsors, is based in Greenville northeast of Dallas. The foundation said that as employers “increasingly look for graduates with STEM proficiency,” it’s providing students with “valuable, early, hands-on access that fosters not only the technical skills students will need in the real world, but also the creativity, teamwork and problem-solving necessary to flourish and forge new paths for their careers.”
Timing of the finals
The competition’s high school finals are scheduled for April 27 from 4 to 6 p.m. Middle school, JROTC, and college finals will be held April 30 from 4 to 6 p.m.. Elementary school finals will be held May 3 from 2:30 to 4:40 p.m.
Attend for free or watch live online video feeds from the event
The VEX Robotics World Championship is free and open to the public. To attend, you’ll need to register in advance and pick up your wristbands at Spectator Check-In in Lobby D of the convention center. To register, go here.
You can also watch the VEX Robotics World Championship events live on VEX TV broadcast feeds by going here.
For more information about the VEX Robotics World Championship, you can go here.
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