{"id":211046,"date":"2025-02-19T16:02:05","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T02:02:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=211046"},"modified":"2025-02-19T16:02:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T02:02:05","slug":"vex-robotics-regional-championships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/02\/19\/vex-robotics-regional-championships\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawai\u02bbi students shine in UH<\/abbr>-hosted robotics competitions"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

\"people<\/p>\n

In early 2025, the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> VEX<\/abbr> Robotics Regional Championships<\/a> provided more than 1,000 students across the state with an opportunity to showcase their technical skills and a chance to advance to the World Championships in Dallas, Texas. The championships are managed by the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Space Grant Consortium<\/a> (HSGC<\/abbr>) in the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa\u2019s Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Institute of Geophysics and Planetology<\/a> (HIGP<\/abbr>) and supported by funding through UH<\/abbr> Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"person<\/p>\n

A total of 111 teams competed in the VEX<\/abbr> V5<\/abbr> Robotics Competition and the VEX<\/abbr> IQ<\/abbr> Robotics Competition Regional Championships, representing public and private schools on Oʻahu<\/span>, Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island and in Maui County, as well as club organizations and home teams.<\/p>\n

VEX<\/abbr> Robotics is an educational robotics program that inspires students to excel in STEM<\/abbr> principles while encouraging creativity, teamwork, leadership and problem solving among groups.<\/p>\n

“Robotics competitions foster these skills and prepare students to become future innovators and global problem-solvers, as well as increase their interest in pursuing STEM<\/abbr> careers,” said Adria Fung, HSGC<\/abbr> robotics education specialist.<\/p>\n

VEX<\/abbr> V5<\/abbr> Robotics Competition Championships<\/h2>\n

\"person<\/p>\n

The VEX<\/abbr> V5<\/abbr> Robotics Competition Championships featured high school and middle school teams at the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Army National Guard in Kapolei on January 25 and 26. This year\u2019s challenge, High Stakes, was a fast-paced game that pits alliances of two teams against another alliance, and requires robots to score rings on stakes, place mobile goals and climb at the end of the match. Robots have a period of autonomous play followed by driver-controlled play.<\/p>\n

Advancing to the World Championships were N\u0101n\u0101kuli High and Intermediate, Mililani Mechs Robotics, Waialua High and Intermediate and Wai\u0101kea Intermediate.<\/p>\n

VEX<\/abbr> IQ<\/abbr> Robotics Competition Championships<\/h2>\n

The VEX<\/abbr> IQ<\/abbr> Robotics Competition Championships featured elementary and middle school teams at Pearl City High School on February 15 and 16. This year\u2019s challenge, Rapid Relay, was a teamwork challenge game that required two teams to pass balls between robots, score balls through targets and clear switches. A new student role to this year\u2019s game, the loader, gives students an opportunity to introduce balls directly onto the field, allowing for human-robot interaction.<\/p>\n

Advancing to the World Championships were M\u0101noa Elementary School, Haleiwa Elementary School, Island Robotics and St. Louis School.<\/p>\n

Due to double qualifications by teams in both competitions, the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation will select additional Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> teams to advance to the national competition.<\/p>\n

About Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Space Grant Consortium<\/h2>\n

HSGC offers remote and in-person training sessions and workshops for coaches, teachers and students, a robotics curriculum for STEM<\/abbr>\/robotics classes, and mentors teachers and students in robotics programs. HSGC<\/abbr> and HIGP<\/abbr> work to inspire and prepare students to enter STEM<\/abbr> degree pathways and careers to promote public understanding of NASA<\/abbr>\u2019s goals and missions. HSGC<\/abbr> and HIGP<\/abbr> are housed in UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VEX Robotics is an educational robotics program that inspires students to excel in STEM<\/abbr> principles while encouraging creativity, teamwork, leadership and problem solving among groups.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[170,871,1466,1168,92,313,9],"class_list":["post-211046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-hawaii-institute-of-geophysics-and-planetology","tag-hawaii-space-grant-consortium","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-robotics","tag-school-of-ocean-and-earth-science-and-technology","tag-stem","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t