Rockwall, Texas – April 22, 2014 – Last June, the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation and the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) announced a partnership to support growth and development of hundreds of VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) high school teams. Six of the best of these teams are making the trip to the 2014 VEX Robotics World Championship, which will be held in Anaheim, California from April 23 to 26, 2014.
The six TWC teams joining us in Anaheim will be Teams 231a and 231b from Pasadena ISD Robotics in Pasadena, Texas; Team 2880a, the TorBots from Galveston, Texas; Team 4000, the Omni Eagles from Quinlan, Texas; Team 4128a, Awty Robotics from Houston, Texas; and Team 4252a Pastoral Invasion from Cedar Park, Texas.
“Robotics has truly changed my life,” said Zachary, a member of Ball Preparatory Academy’s World Championship-bound robotics team that was created this season by the grant. “I am now an A-Honors student,” Zachary said. “I'm getting college letters already, it's made me learn cooperation, passion, persistence, and patience, but most of all, it’s taught me how big the world is, and how many opportunities are available.”
“The REC Foundation is grateful to the Texas Workforce Commission for providing students in Texas access to an affordable, sustainable, and curriculum-based robotics engineering program in the VEX Robotics Competition,” said Jason Morrella, President, REC Foundation. “We share the Texas Workforce Commission’s interest in providing more students access to high quality science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs that will impact their future college and career aspirations, encouraging them to pursue these fields.”
“It is important to inspire the future workforce to become innovators in science and technology,” Andres Alcantar, Texas Workforce Commission Chairman, said. “This competition encourages students to pursue science, technology, engineering and math endeavors that help them acquire skills for high-demand occupations. We wish these Texas teens much success as they compete at the Robotics World Championship.”
The REC Foundation manages the VEX Robotics Competition, which provides students and teams worldwide with hands-on, curriculum-based robotics engineering programs while also engaging them in valuable teamwork and problem-solving experience. Teams compete year-round at more than 750 events which culminate in April at the annual VEX Robotics Competition World Championship.
VEX Robotics is the largest co-curricular elementary, middle, and high school robotics program and reached more than 100,000 students during the 2013-2014 season. To learn more about the REC Foundation, please visit www.RoboticsEducation.org.
About the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation
The REC Foundation seeks to increase student interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by engaging students in hands-on, sustainable and affordable curriculum-based robotics engineering programs across the U.S. and internationally. The REC Foundation develops partnerships with K-12 education, higher education, government, industry, and the non-profit community to achieve this work.
About the Texas Workforce Commission
The Texas Workforce Commission is a state agency dedicated to helping Texas employers, workers and communities prosper economically. For details on TWC and the services it offers in coordination with its network of local workforce development boards, call 512-463-8942 or visit www.texasworkforce.org.