Center for Applied Competitive Technologies hosts hands-on event on Sept. 13

ROCKLIN – On December 14 at Oakmont High School in Roseville, 60 students from both Oakmont and Granite Bay high schools will pit their robots against each other in an exciting competition combining minds and machines.

Sixteen teams of two to four students have built 18”x18”x18” robots that can move, toss and hold on to softballs and atlas exercise balls on a 12’ x 12’ field, modeled after the VEX game (First Vex Challenge - Manual [PDF]).

What: High School Student Robotics Competition
When: Thursday, Dec. 14 from 8 am to 10:30 am
Where: Oakmont High School, Room 1A5
Why: Students learn to apply technical knowledge, strategy and robotic dexterity by having fun.

Some of the students competing Thursday will apply what they learn to the national FIRST Robotics competition (www.usfirst.org) that begins in January. The teams have six weeks to design and build robots out of a common set of parts and then pilot the robots.

The Sierra College Center for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT) (www.sierracollegetraining.com) has committed funding and technical expertise to help the local FIRST robotics team.Carol Pepper-Kittredge, Director, Workforce Development & Continuing Education for Sierra College, sees the club as a way to attract young people to technological careers. “Local manufacturers believe that we must reach students at younger ages to excite them about science and math so they’ll consider technical careers,” said Pepper-Kittredge.

Steven Miller, Granite Bay High School teacher and club advisor agrees. “It is a great way to teach physics and engineering through experience,” said Miller.

The mission of the Center for Applied Competitive Technologies is to support companies with employee training, technology deployment and industry development. Since 1997, the Sierra College CACT has supported manufacturers and technology companies in Northern California from Sacramento to the Oregon border. A complete list of services and training topics is available at www.sierracollegetraining.com or contact Pepper-Kittredge at 916-660-7517.