In just a few weeks, 34 high school students from Columbus hope to be competing for the title of World Champion at the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition in St. Louis. 

The Columbus FIRST Robotics Team 4188, qualified for the World Championship with a second place finish behind the reigning World Champions in Huntsville last month. But before they embark on their journey to the title on April 26, they need the support of the community to raise $10,000. The team is looking for businesses that recognize the importance of supporting this level of academics and are committed to advancing STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). education in our community to become sponsors.

At the World Championship, FIRST Robotics Team 4188, has the opportunity to compete against 600 other high school-aged teams, from 40 countries, with robots they designed, built and programmed in just six weeks. 

The Columbus Robotics team is part of the Columbus Space Program and is directed by Columbus High School physics teacher Luther Richardson. The team is comprised of MCSD high school students interested in STEM The team welcomes all skill levels and strives to utilize each member’s talents to benefit the team – along with building science, engineering and technology skills that inspire innovation. 

The skills FIRST Robotics Team 4188 members learn preparing for Robotics Competitions has played a significant role in preparing them for some of the top colleges in the country. Over the past five years, eight alumni have been accepted to MIT and 25 to Georgia Tech, along with various other top tier universities including John Hopkins and Dartmouth. Most of the alumni from FIRST Robotics Team 4188 go on to pursue careers in STEM fields such as Mechanical Engineering, Physics and Computer Science. 

The support of the business community is a vital part of this program. To donate or explore other ways to help continue the success of FIRST Robotics Team 4188 visit ColumbusSpaceProgram.com.