MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Penn State Harrisburg will host the 11th annual South Central PA Robotics Competition on Nov. 12 at the college. The event is jointly organized by Harrisburg Area Community College.

The event is open to all students from all schools, as well as home-schooled students throughout South Central Pennsylvania. Participating students come from schools across the region, including Lower Dauphin, Susquehanna, Harrisburg, Hershey, Silver Academy, Camp Hill, Northern High School, CLC Charter School (State College), Tuscarora High School, and Civil Air Patrol Squadron 306 Cadets.

This year will see some events carried over from last year, as well as new challenges based on VEX robots. Like previous competitions, contestants will work in teams of three high school students plus a mentor or mentors from one of the participating colleges. Teams will be presented with six tasks in robotic motion and control. Two of these tasks will be open competitions, where teams can use any robotic attachments or sensors they wish. The winning team will have to program an educational robot to perform these tasks as quickly and precisely as possible. Teams can bring their school signage such as tablecloths, flags or banners. Note that students need to fill out registration and COVID forms to participate in the event.

Pre-registration for the competition is highly encouraged. Cost for entry is $5 per student and includes a T-shirt and lunch on the day of the event. Entry forms can be found at: cs.hbg.psu.edu/robotics/index.html. The Organizing Committee has a limited number of fee-waivers for students who wish to participate in the event.

Any corporate or educational organizations that wish to support the event may also participate by following the sponsor link on the website. For additional information, please contact Kelly Batche at kellybatche@psu.edu, Aldo Morales at awm2@psu.edu  or Kiana Karami at kianakarami@psu.edu.

The competition is sponsored by Civil Air Patrol Squadron 306, Fry Communications, Engel Global, HACC, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Central Administration Penn State Harrisburg, School of Science, Engineering and Technology, and the Capital Area Institute for Mathematics and Science, both at Penn State Harrisburg.

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