Several local high schools will be participating in the first round of a gladiator-style robot competition later this week at a new location.
The 15th annual Southwestern Pennsylvania BotsIQ preliminary rounds will begin Friday at Robert Morris University and continue next weekend at Westmoreland County Community College. This event has been held on the Butler Township campus of Butler County Community College in past years. All events are free and open to the public.
Hundreds of students from over 60 schools across southwestern Pennsylvania have spent the last few months building robots to compete, including teams from Butler Area Senior High School, Knoch High School, Moniteau Junior/Senior High School and Seneca Valley Senior High School.
The competition draws on students’ knowledge of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) subjects, and even public speaking. The competition culminates with finals at California University of Pennsylvania’s Convocation Center on April 29-29.