McKeesport Area High School's Amped Robotics Team will unveil its newest robot today at the 2010 FIRST Robotics Competition in Washington, D.C.

The team, known officially as Team 1708 in FIRST competitions, will compete in the three-day event at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

The team's new robot, called Charles 6, will make its local debut at the next regional competition, next Thursday through March 13 at the Petersen Events Center on the University of Pittsburgh campus.

Mike Dischner, the main mentor for the McKeesport team, is an engineering and computer-aided design teacher at the high school. He said the competition prepares students for life outside of school.

"The game provides students with the opportunity to use real-world skills while working under real-world time constraints," he said. "It also gives them the opportunity to work as a team."

The students will compete with teams from about 60 other high schools at the D.C. event, Mr. Dischner said.

This year, students had to design a robot that can maneuver around a 54-foot by 27-foot indoor field with obstacles and kick a soccer ball into a net.

The annual competition begins in January when FIRST - For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology - distributes starter kits for participating teams and a description of the game for the year.

The Manchester, N.H.-based nonprofit corporation designs a game that requires students to use math, engineering, physics, communication and other skills to win. Students who participate in the contests become eligible for college scholarships awarded by FIRST.

Mr. Dischner said students have six weeks to build a robot based on specifications defined by the FIRST committee. Students can personalize their robot by using up to $3,000 of additional parts that the team purchases.

Raising that money can be an obstacle, Mr. Dischner said.

"Fundraising is always a concern. The school provides us with the facility and tools to build the robot, but we have to rely on outside funding to maintain the club."

He thanked the Consortium for Public Education, located in McKeesport, and the Heinz Endowments for their funding. This year, he said, the consortium was able to secure a $10,000 Educational Income Tax Credit from Duquesne Light.

Mr. Dischner noted that entry fees can eat up such gifts quickly. The entry fee for the D.C. regional event was $4,000.

Collaboration is not limited to work between students and outside agencies. The McKeesport team relies on mentors from local colleges to assist in its endeavors.

Jason Mols is one of four college mentors for the McKeesport team. He is a 2008 McKeesport graduate and a sophomore studying Robotics Engineering Technology at California University of Pennsylvania. He said his decision on a major was because of his participation with the high school robotics team.

He emphasized that FIRST competitions are not about building robots but developing skills used in the real world. He points out that the robot primarily symbolizes the collaborative efforts of the students.

"The robot serves as a vehicle for team building and community involvement," he said. "FIRST is really about learning how to become a team player while working with different technologies to attain a goal."

He and Mr. Dischner said that as mentors, they primarily serve as facilitators for the students.

"It's a very big and very important learning experience for them," Mr. Dischner said. "They do the work. They get their hands dirty."

Ian Sparico, a sophomore on the McKeesport team, said the time constraint for construction and reconciliation of individual ideas on design are the biggest challenges in preparing for the competition.

"Everyone has an idea about how the robot should be built," Ian said. "Coming to an agreement can be difficult because everyone thinks his idea is the best.

"We have six weeks to build the robot, but we lost a whole week because of the snow.

"However, I think the lost week required us to put more effort into building the robot. We really worked together."

He added that being on the robotics team has inspired him to pursue a degree in aerospace engineering in college.

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