Future scientists, engineers to battle with robots at UCF

One family will travel to the competition to see their son�s last inspiration

After hearing about a robotics competition seeking sponsors to support aspiring young science students, Saullo organized a meeting between Disney and DeVry University, where he was a student, and encouraged them to back a team from Evans High School.

An engineering club Saullo belonged to mentored the Evans team and helped them build a robot that will battle this week at the FIRST Central Florida Regional Robotics Competition at the University of Central Florida.

More than 40 high schools from Florida, North America and Puerto Rico will field teams in the high-spirited, fast-paced and highly competitive regional competition Thursday, March 20, through Saturday, March 22, at the UCF Arena.

But Saullo won't be there; he was 29 and about a year from graduating when he died in a car accident in September near the Orlando DeVry campus. Instead, his family will travel to the competition to see "Slim" the robot, named for the man who inspired it.

"I'm coming down for my son to see the positive impact he had on these kids," said Saullo's sister, Julie Miller, who is flying down from Boston with 6-year-old son, Joshua. "And my parents are just so proud of how he found something he really liked and how he inspired these kids."

FIRST, or For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, encourages the next generation of scientists, engineers and technicians to seek and continue education in these fields through its robotics competitions.

"This is a wonderful competition, not only for the education and inspiration it provides for these students, but also for what it does for society and workforce development," said Erik Halleus, chair of the FIRST Regional Advisory Committee and a vice president at Siemens Enterprise Networks.

"FIRST helps develop the future of our high-tech workforce by showing these students that science and engineering can be a challenging, rewarding and fun way to make a living," said Wayne Weinberg, the Central Florida regional competition's vice chair and director of development at the UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science.

The highlight of the event is the "Stack Attack" competition in which teams direct their robots in a mission to stack and defend the most plastic storage bins while trying to stop other teams from doing the same. Awards are also given for the best 30-second animated short depicting the action and for teamwork and community involvement.

The UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science and the NASA Kennedy Space Center are co-hosting the Regional.

Space Center Director Roy Bridges will discuss the Columbia disaster, the shuttle program and the importance of robotics competition at noon Friday at an invitation-only luncheon. A question-and-answer session will follow his comments.

Other confirmed speakers include U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney, Florida High Tech Corridor Council President Randy Berridge, UCF Provost Gary Whitehouse and UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science Dean Marty Wanielista.

Miller, a software engineer, said her brother was always interested in electronics but struggled for a while to figure just how to pursue his interest. When he finally did, he wanted to help others not waste any time.

"He thought if he had known earlier how much he would enjoy his education he would have started a great deal earlier," Miller said. "He wanted to bring this message of how cool electronics can be to these kids right away. It was just a great passion of his and he instilled that in those kids."

For more information about FIRST and the regional competition, visit http://www.cflfirst.cecs.ucf.edu.

FIRST Central Florida Regional Robotics Competition University of Central Florida

Schedule

Thursday, March 20

8 a.m. � Pits and Machine Shop open
8 a.m.-noon � Registration and inspection
10 a.m.-5:45 p.m. � Practice rounds
5 p.m. � Pits and Machine Shop close

Friday, March 21, 2003

8 a.m. � Pits and Machine Shop open
9 a.m. � Opening ceremonies
9:20 a.m.-4:30 p.m. � Seeding matches
Noon-1 p.m. � Lunch
4:30 p.m. � Awards ceremony
5 p.m.-9 p.m. � Team Social
5 p.m. � Pits and Machine Shop close

Saturday, March 22, 2003

8 a.m. � Pits and Machine Shop open
9 a.m. � Opening ceremonies
9:20 a.m.-noon � Seeding matches
Noon-1 p.m. � Lunch
12:40 p.m.-1 p.m. � Alliance Selections
1 p.m.-3 p.m. � Final rounds
3 p.m. � Awards ceremony
5 p.m. � Pits and Machine Shop close, crates
packed for shipping

Times and events are subject to change.