12 Nov 2004
Competition Set for Saturday, Nov. 13, at Southern Methodist University
DALLAS–Dallas Independent School District students from Lincoln High School will be among 60 teams from different states competing for the 2004 Texas BEST Robotic Championship, Saturday, Nov. 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Moody Coliseum on the Southern Methodist University campus.
This year's assignment will focus on the use of gene therapy to repair DNA and to find the gene that causes aging and stop or repair it.
For the third consecutive year, Lincoln High School students advanced to the regional level. Thomas Jefferson High School and the Talented and Gifted Magnet also participated in this year's local competition as well as 23 other schools from the metroplex.
SMU's School of Engineering hosts this robotic competition yearly for thousands of pre-college students to demonstrate the skills of their remote-controlled robots.
"This is not only a competition, the event provides students an opportunity to determine what career they want to pursue, thanks to the hands-on experience they acquire during the process. It is a great opportunity for students to interact with professionals from the areas of math, engineering and science," said Tracey Ethredge, Lincoln High School team sponsor.
The students have had six weeks to build their remote-controlled robots with the help of a volunteer engineer from the community; all the materials were provided by engineers or other technical professionals.
There are 15 categories in the competition. The top team will receive a $500 award and will advance to the national competition.
Another major attraction during the competition will be ASIMO, the world's most advanced humanoid robot developed by Honda Motor Co., Ltd., who will be coming to Texas for the first time to be part of the 2004 Texas BEST Robotics Championship.