Wallace State hosting VEX IQ Lion’s Pride Tournament on Feb. 1, Feb. 8

Published 9:45 am Saturday, February 1, 2020

Wallace State Community College is hosting the VEX IQ Robotics Challenge Squared Away on Saturday, Feb. 1 and VEX Robotics Competition Tower Takeover, Saturday, Feb. 8 at the Wellness Center.

The VEX IQ Robotics Challenge, tabbed the Wallace State Lion’s Pride Tournament IQ and administered by the Computer Science STEM Club, will feature elementary and early middle school robotics students on Saturday and late middle school and high school robotics students on Feb. 8. Both events begin at 8 a.m.

The Robotics Education and Competition (REC) Foundation’s mission is to increase student interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), by engaging students in hands-on, affordable and sustainable robotics engineering programs.

VEX IQ is a snap-together robotics system designed to provide opportunities to students in elementary and early middle school. The VEX IQ competition allows students to build and program robots, encouraging teamwork, problem solving and leadership as teams construct and operate their robots.

“We have 31 teams registered for the VEX IQ event this Saturday and 23 for the Feb. 8 event. Teams can still register for both dates. Any school that has the VEX hardware can charter a team, register for the event and compete,” said Terry Ayers, Wallace State’s Computer Science Chairperson and event organizer. “I look forward to seeing the robots that are built and the creativity each school demonstrates during the competition, especially the elementary-aged teams.”

In addition to the game competition, teams are judged on items like robot design, programming and engineering notebook as part as their overall scores.

The top game winner and overall excellence winner on both dates – as long as they’re an Alabama-based school – will advance to the state VEX competition at Auburn University on Feb. 25.

Saturday’s field includes teams from Huntsville, Fultondale, Selma, Wetumpka, Hartselle, Attalla, Greenville and South Pittsburg, Tenn., among others.