This came through late last week. I am not the contact for it.. but know some may be interested. Looks good! And registration not due until late Oct.
Be great to hear about some schools interested in this. Your contact is this gentleman: Jim Wick <[log in to unmask]>
The Rules for the Aiken Engineering Challenge are now available.
(This is the new name for the TASC Competition.)
The Aiken Engineering Challenge is a program supported by the University of Vermont George D. Aiken Lectures that aims to involve young Vermonters in engineering and technology, a
topic that long interested Senator Aiken. Aiken Engineering Challenge is a program of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (CEMS) at UVM.
The event will be held at the Davis Center at UVM, Saturday, November 19.
Students will build a device to meet an engineering challenge, and compete with their device. The Aiken Engineering Challenge will be held in conjunction with a "Maker" event where
youth, teachers, and parents will exhibit their creations during the Aiken Challenge, all for a great day of design and innovation.
Aiken Engineering Challenge is open to all high schools and middle schools in Vermont and nearby areas of New Hampshire and New York. Groups such as 4-H, Boy/Girl Scouts, Boys and
Girls Clubs, and ad-hoc groups are also encouraged to participate. There is no cost to enter, but you must register as a team.
This challenge is an achievable one and can be solved using ordinary hand tools, readily available materials, robotic components that most schools already have, and for a reasonable
cost. But there is real engineering involved. The students will need to analyze the problem, consider a variety of solutions, build a trial solution, test it, make improvements, and build a final design that is robust and reliable. The challenge is structured
so that almost any team can achieve some success, but it is not easy to win. This year it will be very important to finish your device in time to practice!
Students get an experience with hands-on learning and engineering thought, both necessary to solve any number of contemporary real world challenges in energy, agriculture, the environment,
and communication.
The Official Rules
The Official Rules, a Registration form, and a Q and A page all can be found at http://www.uvm.edu/~cems/TASC/.
We very much hope your school or group will be interested in participating.
Registrations are due on or before October 21, and will be limited to 40 teams. We recommend that you get registered early. You can register even before you know
the name of the team and all the participants.
The 2016 Challenge
Robots will play on a 6' x 8' flat surface with a curb around the edge. Red and blue wooden blocks are positioned near the center of the field. The object of the game is to bring
wooden blocks into the robot's Goal and stack them. The more blocks in the Goal, and the higher the stacks, the higher the score. There is an area near the center of the field where the opposing robots can cooperate to build additional stacks for bonus points.
Four robots play at the same time, in teams of two, a Red Alliance against a Blue Alliance. Each team will play four matches and will be randomly paired with a different alliance
partner for each match. Robots may collect and move blocks, stack blocks, and interfere with the opponent's robots and blocks. Robots may also attempt to remove blocks in the opponent's Goal and also knock over an opponent's stacks. The two teams on a successful
alliance will need to work together to accomplish their objectives. Points earned for all four matches will be totaled; if time permits there will be a playoff for the top 4 teams.
Jim Wick <[log in to unmask]>
Peter Drescher
Education Technology Coordinator
VT Agency of Education
219 N. Main St. Suite 402
Barre, VT 05641
802-479-1169