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Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax: 713.743.8199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27, 2006

Contact: Contact: Mike Emery
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ROBOTICS COMPETITIONS AT UH GET A LIFT FROM NASA
Grant to Help College of Technology Host Educational Tournaments

HOUSTON, July 27, 2006 – Robots aren’t just characters in science fiction films. They’re used in such fields as manufacturing, medicine and space exploration. The University of Houston’s College of Technology also uses them to bolster young people’s interests in science, technology, engineering and math through annual robotics competitions.

The college’s Coordination Of Robotics Education (CORE) recently received an added boost in hosting these educational contests on campus, thanks to a $20,000 grant from NASA.

“Robotics plays a central role in space exploration, and it pervades virtually all aspects of modern industry, commerce and science,” said William Fitzgibbon, dean of the College of Technology. “Both NASA and the College of Technology view robotics competitions as a superb means of stimulating high school and middle school students’ interests in pursuing careers in the important disciplines of science, engineering, mathematics and technology.”

For the past four years, UH has been the site of the Texas Regional Botball Robotics Tournament, and since 2002, the College of Technology has served as a sponsor of the Lone Star FIRST LEGO? League (FLL) Robotics Tournament and training in Houston. Both events host teams of students from around the state, who build and program autonomous robots using specialized LEGO equipment.

“UH has turned into this region’s control center for junior high and high school robotics education,” said Lucien Junkin, robotics engineer for NASA Johnson Space Center. “For students, science, technology, engineering and mathematics are pieces of a puzzle. Robotics helps put these concepts into perspective.”

CORE is part of the College of Technology’s Center for Technology Literacy, which trains and supports Texas technology educators. Each December, it hosts FLL and every March, it brings Botball to UH. For more information on CORE, contact Taresa Mikle, College of Technology instructional designer, at 713-743-8155.

“Robotics competitions are contemporary variants of the Soap Box Derby,” Fitzgibbon said. “They’re fun, and students learn scientific principles, technological design and project management. The NASA grant enables the college’s efforts in promoting these efforts, and this endorsement lends credence to and assists the outreach effort.”

UH’s College of Technology offers undergraduate and graduate degrees related to practical technology and consumer science. Its curriculum includes programs in engineering technology, information technology, logistics, merchandising and life sciences technology.

About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and service with more than 35,000 students.

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.