NEIT hosting robotics challenge

THE NEW ENGLAND Institute of Technology will host a robotics competition in January. / COURTESY NEW ENGLAND INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
THE NEW ENGLAND Institute of Technology will host a robotics competition in January. / COURTESY NEW ENGLAND INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

EAST GREENWICH – The New England Institute of Technology will host the ninth annual FIRST Tech Challenge in January.
NEIT, a nonprofit technical college, will host 33 middle and high school robotics teams, which will face off in a state competition beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 31.
The event will be held at the college’s Center for Automotive Technology, at 101 Access Road, Warwick.
Forty-five teams are currently fighting for 33 slots, and qualifier matches are slated for Dec. 6 and Jan. 3 at NEIT’s East Greenwich campus, according to a NEIT press release.
The goal of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is to “engage students in developing problem solving, critical thinking and innovative reasoning skills using custom-designed robots,” according the press release. Inventor Dean Kamen founded the organization in 1989, “to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in students through the fun of robotics.”
The 33 Rhode Island teams, in January, will compete for a chance to travel to the FIRST World Championship, which will be held in St. Louis, according to FIRST’s website.
Both qualifying matches and the state tournament are free and open to the public.

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