The Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation and the Dallas Sports Commission have announced that the REC Foundation's VEX Robotics World Championship, presented by the Northrop Grumman Foundation, will return to Dallas from 2021 through 2024.
The REC Foundation's VEX Robotics World Championship, recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest robotics competition in the world, is a week-long event celebrating hands-on STEM learning and will take place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. "The world's top teams will gather to compete in robotics competitions focused on creative design and problem solving," said a spokesperson.
"As a hotbed for STEM jobs and the home of the REC Foundation, based in Greenville, TX, Dallas is a suitable choice for the competition," said the spokesperson. "Dallas previously hosted the VEX Robotics World Championship in 2009 and 2010, so it is no stranger to the fun and excitement that comes with such a gathering."
"After a comprehensive search for cities to host the world's largest robotics competition, we could not be happier to bring this event back to Dallas in 2021. Our home office is based in Texas just outside of Dallas, so we know first-hand how committed the city is to innovation, STEM education and the future workforce," said Dan Mantz, CEO of REC Foundation.
The VEX Robotics World Championship showcases students' technical skills and accomplishments through the following programs: the VEX IQ Challenge (elementary and middle school), the VEX Robotics Competition (middle school and high school) and VEX U (college/university). Robotics teams from across the world compete in these programs on a local level throughout the year, culminating in 1,650 teams who qualified to attend the VEX Robotics World Championship based on their success at the state/regional championship. Over the course of the season, over 24,000 VEX Competition teams from around the world worked to expand their STEM-related skill sets.
"We are thrilled to partner with the REC Foundation to bring the VEX Robotics World Championships back home to Dallas for 2021-2024," said Monica Paul, Executive Director of the Dallas Sports Commission. "STEM education is part of our DNA in Dallas and the extensive STEM and robotics community locally is not just important in our schools but in also recruiting companies, jobs and workforce to the Dallas area. Bringing the VEX Worlds to Dallas embodies the out of the box thinking that we have embraced as the Dallas Sports Commission is always looking to expand our portfolio of events and competitions we host."
The Dallas Sports Commission was influential in REC Foundation's decision to come back to Dallas.
"We are proud to partner with the Dallas Sports Commission to bring the competition to Dallas," said Mantz. "When deciding on a location, we were very impressed by Dallas Sports Commission's vision for the event as well as its team's commitment to help us grow the event and the city's dedication to STEM."
The REC Foundation and VEX Robotics also promote teamwork, collaboration and diversity within the STEM community through programs such as Girl Powered. The Girl Powered (www.girlpowered.com) initiative brings tools and resources to students and mentors to promote female involvement in STEM and create an environment where students' confidence and abilities can flourish.
For more information contact:
Dallas Sports Commission
325 N. St. Paul St., Suite 700
Dallas, TX 75201
877-325-5272
www.dallassports.org
Robotics Education & Competition
Foundation
1519 Interstate Hwy. 30 W
Greenville, TX 75402
903-401-8088
support@robotevents.com
www.roboticseducation.org
VEX Robotics
6725 W FM 1570
Greenville, TX 75402
sales@vex.com
www.vexrobotics.com