Suffern, NY – High school robotics teams from across New York, neighboring states, and even the United Kingdom will gather at Rockland Community College from March 6-8, 2024, for the FIRST Robotics Competition Hudson Valley Regional. The event will showcase cutting-edge engineering and teamwork as students compete for top honors and a chance to qualify for the global FIRST Robotics Championship.
This year’s competition features 50 teams, including 14 from the lower Hudson Valley, vying for recognition in categories such as design excellence, sportsmanship, and collaboration. The event is open to the public, offering spectators an exciting display of student-driven innovation in a high-energy, sports-like atmosphere.
The competition theme, REEFSCAPE presented by Haas, is part of the 2024-2025 FIRST DIVE presented by Qualcomm season. Teams will build and program robots to complete tasks such as scoring coral, harvesting algae, and attaching to a barge before time runs out. Points will be awarded for strategic play and teamwork between competing alliances.
The event is made possible through sponsorships from organizations including the Bezos Family Foundation, Pfizer, Con Edison, Verizon, Orange & Rockland, Optimum, and local grassroots supporters.
Founded by inventor Dean Kamen, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing young people for future careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The FIRST Robotics Competition challenges students to work with professional mentors to design, build, and test a functional robot, fostering problem-solving skills, teamwork, and innovation.
Event Details:
Dates: Thursday, March 6 – Saturday, March 8, 2024
Time: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: Rockland Community College – Eugene Levy Fieldhouse, 145 College Road, Suffern, NY
Admission: Free to the public
For more information, visit nysfirst.org/hudson-valley.