WPI FIRST Regional

On March 7-9th, 2013 WPI will be hosting a FIRST Regional Tournament featuring 42 teams from all over the world! FIRST is a program designed to inspire high school students to pursue higher education and careers in science, technology, and engineering through hands-on mentorship from people in those fields.

Each team has 6 weeks to build a robot to compete in the same game.  They then ship their robots to regional tournaments all over the world to ally and compete with their peers.  WPI has been hosting a regional since 2010, and a crowds of 1500 high school students, their mentors, and families are expected to attend.

These events are free and open to the public of all ages.

General Information:

• Event Location:  The event will take place at Harrington Auditorium & the Sports and Recreation Center on the main WPI Campus.  Address is 100 Institute Rd., Worcester, MA 01609.
• Agenda: Public Agenda is available from FIRST
• Parking:
  • Team and spectator parking is available on the streets surrounding WPI and in approved WPI parkings lots on Thursday & Friday.  On Saturday, teams and spectators may park in any WPI lots and on the street.
  • Each team will be allotted TWO passes for cars to park in the WPI Park Ave Garage (enter via Park Ave OR Salisbury St). 
    • These passes are transferable from car-to-car, but DO NOT DUPLICATE. 
    • Pass must be clearly displayed on your dashboard at all times.  We are not responsible for ticketed, booted, or towed cars that do not comply with campus parking rules.
    • These passes may be collected:
      • Wednesday March 6th during Robot Drop-Off (6-8PM).  See Colleen.
      • Thursday March 7th by seeing the volunteer stationed at the Team/People Drop-off (7:30A-9A).
      • After 9AM on Thursday, your team may collect any of their remaining passes at Pit Admin.
  • BUSES AND LARGE VANS ONLY may park on the opposite side of Institute Road (signed for no parking).  Worcester Police have granted special permission for parking during this event.
  • See our drop-off map and map of area parking.
• Food:
  • Outside food is welcome in the venue.  
  • Limited on-site and on-campus food options are available.  
    • On-Site Consession Stand.  Open:
      • Thursday 7:45AM-6PM
      • Friday 8AM-5PM
      • Saturday 8AM-3PM
    • Campus Center Food Court.  Open daily 10:30AM-2PM.
    • Dunkin' Donuts (Campus Center). Open daily 7AM-5PM.
    • Morgan Dining Hall.  All-you-can-eat dining on-campus.  Open:
      • Breakfast 6:30AM-8AM
      • Lunch 10:30AM-1PM
      • Dinner 5-6PM
  • We have provided a map of restaurants within walking distance.

Event Information

• Webcast: A webcast link will be posted as we get closer to the event.  We anticipate webcasting all three days of the tournament.
• List of Competitors and other general event information can be found on the FIRST website.
• FIRST will post match results, standings, and awards as they become available.
• In the event of inclement weather, please check the FIRST website (usfirst.org) for any information on delays, etc.  Remember that the safety of your team is paramount!

Information for Teams:

In the past, we have been able to offer the following amenities.  We have not confirmed all of these opportunities for 2013, but will update here when more information is available:  

• 2013 - Tournament-unique academic scholarships:
  • One $10,000 WPI Scholarship will be offered to eligible seniors.  Each team may nominate one senior through the application below.  
  • Student must have already applied for admission to WPI (deadline is 1 Feb) and be capable of meeting WPI admissions criteria.
  • Application must be postmarked by 1 March 2013.
  • WPI Regional Scholarship Application
• 2013 - Chairman's Award scholarships:
  • One $2,500 WPI scholarship awarded to each current high school member of the Chairman's Award winning team.
  • Students must be capable of meeting WPI admissions criteria at their time of application as well as present documentation of their award (provided post-event). 
  • Mentor must submit a complete roster of current students including full name, birthday, grade, and school to Pit Admin on Thursday.  If no roster is submitted, the scholarships cannot be awarded.  This list may be verified against the STIMS roster.
• 2013 - Team grants to offset travel costs:
  • ALL GRANTS FOR 2013 HAVE BEEN AWARDED.
  • Thanks to the generous donations of WPI & MathWorks, we will once again be able to offer team travel grants to help offset the cost of attending the WPI Regional.  Due to funding limitations, we may not be able to offer as much as previous years, but we will continue to strive to help as many teams as possible.
  • Grant Applications are due by 11:59PM on 15 February. No late applications will be considered. 
  • NEW FOR 2013: Any team receiving a grant of $250 or more will be required to provide an event volunteer for at least 8 hours on Friday & Saturday of the event.  These shifts may be split between people (minimum 4 hour shift).
  • If you are approved for a grant, you will be notified by 1 March.  If you are approved, you must complete the following to receive the grant (all grants are dispersed AFTER the event):
    • By 15 March, you must submit IN A SINGLE EMAIL with "Team XXXX - WPI Regional Grant Information" as the subject the following:
      • An invoice for the amount of the grant approved.
      • A W-9 for an associated group or organization for the team (check will be made payable to this person)
      • Receipts directed associated with your team's cost to attend the event up to the amount of the grant awarded
  • Team Travel Grant Application
• 2013 - Bagged lunches are available for teams to pre-order.
  • Options available are Ham, Turkey, Roast Beef, Tuna, or Pulled Pork.  All include chips, cookie, fruit, and beverage
  • Orders must be received by 4 March at NOON. 
  • All payments must be received by 11AM on the Thursday of the event.  Teams may mail checks in advance, or bring check or cash to the event (clearly labelled with their team number).  Credit cards are not accepted.
  • Bagged Lunch Order Form

 

Team Logistics:

• Pit map
• Drop-off Map
• There are a variety of low cost hotels in the local area.