Northeastern University Nu-Trons clinch first place in national robotics competition

BOSTON, Mass. – The Northeastern University "Nu-Trons" walked away from Epcot Center in Orlando this weekend placing first in the FIRST National Robotics Competition, a national engineering contest that engages high school and college students in the world of engineering. The "Nu-trons" clinched the regional and national title, while earning an additional award for the design of their robot, the Husky IV. In March, the team placed second in the regional competion in Hartford, CT.

The two-day Orlando event, which attracted nearly 500 teams and 15,000 high school students, included 12 Northeastern University students and 25 students from Boston Latin high school, Brookline High, Catholic Memorial and Milton Academy.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is the nationwide program first developed by founder Dean Kamen. The program allows high school and college students to receive up close, first-hand views of the design process as they engineer, test, and build robots, taking them to competitions and teams from around the country.

FIRST was first developed in 1992 by Kamen, to provide students with real life role models, heroes and mentors – working professionals in the areas of science and engineering. This year’s sponsors included Textron Systems of Wilmington, Mass. and Northeastern University’s College of Engineering.

Northeastern University, a private research institution, is a world leader in practice-orientated education. Building on its flagship co-operative education program, Northeastern links classroom learning with workplace experience and integrates professional preparation with study in the liberal arts and sciences.