A cacophony of whirring motors, timing buzzers, and shouts of encouragement filled the Lamoille Union High School gymnasium this past weekend during the 2024 Vermont First Tech Challenge (FTC) as 19 teams from across the state took center stage for the annual robotics competition.

Founded in 1989, FIRST is a global not-for-profit organization with a mission to inspire young engineers through a mentorship program that cultivates their STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) skills in a team-based format that fosters self-confidence, communication, and leadership skills. The organization offers three different program levels to provide an opportunity for youths to work in teams to learn how to design, build, and program robots: LEGO® League (FLL for ages 4-14) and the Tech Challenge and Robotics Competition (FTC and FRC, both for ages 14-18).

The FTC program in Vermont started about a decade ago and has grown to become a premier student-driven technology showcase for the state. For the past three years, the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (CEMS), in partnership with UVM Extension and Vermont 4-H, has overseen the program and provides additional support through funding and an active volunteer corps of faculty and staff members.

In FTC, teams of up to 15 students are challenged to design, build, program, and operate robots that then compete in a head-to-head challenge that is organized in an alliance format (two teams compete against two other teams). They are guided by team mentors and their own passion for science, computers, and engineering. Together, they develop the necessary technical skills and embrace a spirit of innovation and teamwork to build sophisticated robots that perform autonomous and operator-navigated tasks through a complex obstacle course of challenges. Strategy is also a key component of the competition as top-placed teams can select their own alliances for the final rounds.

“There are few things we can invest in today that are more important than our support for these remarkable students as they continue to amaze with their impressive technical know-how, their innovative solutions, and their commitment to teamwork — all skills that are highly valued by university engineering and science programs,” said CEMS Dean Linda Schadler, who also served as this year’s volunteer coordinator along with Courtney Giles for the championship event.

Unlike traditional competitions, the state FTC Championships are unique in that there are multiple winners across numerous award categories. During the event, teams earn points to improve their overall ranking which determines their eligibility for post-season play in regional and national competitions.

Vermont has two slots for FIRST’s World Championship event this year, taking place in Houston, TX at the end of April.  The two top-ranked Vermont teams, who will be invited to advance to Worlds, were #5741 RoboHawks from Champlain Valley UHS in Hinesburg and #3397 HiveMind Robotics from Essex. 

The inaugural New England District Championships event will also be held in April in Springfield, MA. The six Vermont teams invited to Districts are: # 4946 Robo Raiders from U-32 Middle and High School in East Montpelier, #7418 Batteries Not Included from South Burlington High School, #8304 Wired Cats from Vermont Academy in Saxtons River, #10899 Mansfield Mechanics United from Mt Mansfield UHS, #14251 Capital Robotics a community team from Montpelier, and #16221 Manchester Machine Makers a community team combining a 4-H club and Burr & Burton Academy students.

All the award winners for the Vermont State FTC championship are listed here.

The 21 Vermont teams who qualified for this year’s Vermont First Tech Challenge (FTC) State Championship are: