Five FIRST robotics team from Long Island will be heading to the FIRST Championship next week in Houston to compete in a four-day robotics international competition, beginning Wednesday, April 16. To continue supporting the team, Optimum, local provider of internet, mobile, TV, and phone services, is providing an additional $1,000 to the teams, which include:
- POBots from Plainview-Old Bethpage High School
- RoboLions from Longwood High School
- Hicksville Jbirds from Hicksville High School
- Rebel Robotics from Great Neck South High School
- Wild Reds from Mineola High School
FIRST is a robotics community where each year FIRST teams build and program a robot to perform the season’s challenge, and this year’s ocean-inspired challenge is REEFSCAPE. Throughout the season, students learn engineering and problem-solving skills as they compete for awards, create a team identity, raise funds, hone teamwork skills, and advance appreciation for STEM in their community.
As part of Optimum’s long-standing partnership with FIRST, the company sponsors 15 FIRST robotics teams on Long Island, providing them with resources and tools needed to build a robot to compete throughout the competition season. Of the 15 FIRST Long Island teams Optimum sponsors, five will be heading to the Championship, with Optimum providing an additional $1,000 to each team to support their efforts, bringing the company’s total contribution for each team to $2,000.