For three consecutive weekends this spring, Worcester Polytechnic Institute transformed into a global hub for robotics, innovation, and STEM education as thousands of students, mentors, volunteers, families, and industry leaders gathered on campus for BattleCry 26, and the WPI Annual FIRST LEGO League Event (WAFFLE).
Together, the events welcomed more than 5,000 attendees to campus and showcased WPI's longstanding commitment to hands-on learning, robotics education, and its partnership with FIRST.
The first two weekends featured BattleCry, May 29 and 30 and June 6 and 7, one of the longest-running offseason FIRST Robotics Competition events in the world. More than 90 high school robotics teams came to WPI to continue their engineering journey after the official competition season, testing robot improvements, mentoring new students, and celebrating the community that has defined the program for decades.
The third weekend, June 11– 14, brought WAFFLE, WPI's international FIRST LEGO League championship-style event. The competition welcomed 108 teams representing more than 20 countries and 30 U.S. states. More than 2,500 students, coaches, and family members participated in the four-day event.
During WAFFLE's opening ceremony, WPI President Grace Wang welcomed participants from around the world and highlighted the importance of making STEM education engaging and accessible for all students.
"Together with FIRST, we believe that science, engineering, and technology education should not be hard. It should be fun. It should be accessible," Wang said.
She encouraged students to continue pursuing their curiosity and passion for discovery.
"Keep exploring, keep experimenting, and keep learning," Wang told the audience.
Chris Rake, Chief Operating Officer of FIRST, also addressed participants and celebrated the global community gathered at WPI.
"What an incredible gathering of some very, very talented people," Rake said.
Reflecting on the collective impact of students, educators, volunteers, and supporters, he added:
"The reality is, we all believe in what's happening in this room, and that's why we're all here today."
The events were coordinated by WPI's Robotics Resource Center, alongside hundreds of volunteers from WPI and the broader FIRST community, including WPI students and alumni who returned to campus to volunteer at all three events, serving as judges, referees, technical advisors, and mentors. Their participation reflects the deep connection between WPI and FIRST, a relationship that spans more than three decades.
Beyond the competitions themselves, students explored the campus, participated in cultural exchanges, formed new friendships, and experienced firsthand how engineering and technology can bring people together across geographic and cultural boundaries.
As the final robots powered down and teams began their journeys home, the impact of the three-week celebration was clear: robotics is more than a competition. It is a community that inspires young people to turn knowledge into action, tackle real-world challenges, and imagine a better future.
For WPI, the events represent an ongoing commitment to STEM education and to creating opportunities for students from around the world to discover that they belong in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
