Clear creek independent school district (clear creek ISD) is seeking funding to support robotics education programs within clear creek ISD including first lego league (FLL), boosting engineering,…

Clear creek independent school district (clear creek ISD) is seeking funding to support robotics education programs within clear creek ISD including first lego league (FLL), boosting engineering, science, and technology (best), VEX robotics, botball, and first robotics competition (FRC). First (for inspiration and recognition of science and technology) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create a demand for science and math learning. This effort is guided by a coalition of national leaders from business, government, education and the media. The FRC is the national creative engineering contest featnring school, business and university partnerships. Played out in the spirit of sport, the competition immerses high school students in the exciting world of engineering. Teaming up with engineers from businesses and universities, students get a hands-on, inside look at an engineer's profession. In seven action-packed weeks, students and engineers work together to brainstorm, design, construct, and test their robot which competes in tournaments, complete with referees, cheerleaders, and time clocks. The result is a fun, exciting, and stimulating envirournent in which students can discover the important connection between classroom lessons and real-world applications. FRC provides schools, businesses, and nniversities the opportnnity to join together as leading institutions in their community and around the nation in an exciting, hands-on educational program to motivate the next generation oftechnologists, engineers, and scientists. This year, the kick-off date for the six-week design and construction phase is january 8, 2011 at which time a clear creek ISD representative and a NASA engineering representative will pick up the raw materials for robot construction, as well as the rules and guidelines for the competition itself. This kickoff workshop will further familiarize the clear creek isdinasa JSC team with the spirit ofthe contest as well as the specifics of this year's competition. Then, between january 9, 2011 and early march, clear creek ISD students and engineers from NASA JSC will work together to design, build, and test a robot to participate in the competition. Meetings between students and engineers will be scheduled for several times a week, the length of which will depend on the level of progress. These meetings will be held at a NASA location (sonny carter). Regional FRC competitions will be held in march in various locations. The clear creek isdinasa JSC team will participate in the houston area competition, but travel expenses are covered by ccisd. In addition, the clear creek isdinasa JSC team would like to participate in the alamo regional to be held in SAN antonio as well as the midwest regional in chicago, IL. Expenses will be incurred to participate in these events. The "finals" will be held in ST. Louis, MO. In april. The clear creek ISD team will only be eligible to participate in this competition should they qualify at a regional event. The botball season in january with a similar "kickoff' and compete in the regional houston event in march. Botball is a program that encourages students to explore science, technology, engineering, and math, objectives similar to first, and provides additional robotics opportunities for ninth grade students in the clear creek ISD. Following the botball tournament, the ninth grade students on the robonauts team participate with the remainder of the robonauts team at the lone star regional competition. The ninth grade students will not be eligible to attend the national competition should the team qualify.