The George Mason High School FIRST Robotics Team 1418, “Vae Victis,” recently received its first donation of the season, a grant of $2,000 from ExxonMobil Corporation.
ExxonMobil representatives Jerry French, territory manager, and Ashley A. Smith, public and government affairs advisor, presented the grant to the team and GMHS Principal Ty Byrd.
During the presentation, French spoke about the unique opportunity that FIRST Robotics provides team members to work together on highly technical problems, using math and science in practical applications. Students demonstrated the robot they created last season which was programmed to accurately shoot basketballs and balance on a teeter-totter.
The 2013 FIRST Robotics Competition season will begin with the national announcement of this year’s robotics challenge on Jan. 5, 2013. Teams have six weeks to design and build their robot to the contest specifications and will compete in regional competitions in March and April.
The GMHS FIRST Robotics team is sponsored by teacher John Ballou, and mentored by volunteers Don Brobst and Cricket Moore. It is open to students in grades 8-12.
