Women in Technology sponsors the Robotics Hawaii project to support many scholastic robotics programs throughout the state. The goal is to motivate students toward STEM careers by capturing and sustaining their interest in robotics at an early age.
Currently, WIT sponsors four major robotics programs in Hawaii:
- The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition is an exciting, multinational competition that teams professionals and young people to solve an engineering design problem in an intense and creative way. In 2009, teams representing McKinley, Moanalua, Waialua and Maui High schools, beat out 1,000 contenders in the Hawaii regional. The Hawaii teams went on to compete and distinguish themselves in the FIRST World Championships against 350 teams from different countries.
- FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is an international organization that introduces students (ages 9-14) to the fun and experience of solving real-world problems by applying math, science and technology. In Hawaii, the FIRST LEGO League robotics competition challenges participants to design and program their robots to accomplish specific tasks related to an annual theme.
- The Botball Educational Robotics Program engages middle and high school aged students in a team-oriented robotics competition based on National Science Education Standards. Locally, Botball tournaments help make real robotics more accessible to students, as well as provide an opportunity for the general public to learn more about various aspects of robotics.
- VEX Robotics competition is a unique and challenging team-based game that puts high school and middle school students’ engineering and technology skills to the test. Students, with guidance from their teachers and mentors strive to build the most innovative robots possible and work together to obtain the most points possible. Hawaii hosted its first Pan Pacific VEX Championship in December 2008 at the Hawaii Convention Center.