
FIRST Robotics Competition Team Selected for Intel/Trail Blazers Engineering Challenge
Intel and the Portland Trail Blazers decided to combine technology with sports to create an exciting community and education based competition – the first Intel/Trail Blazers Engineering Challenge. Intel’s Corporate Affairs Manager explained that the company wants more students to study math, science, and engineering. This type of challenge is one way to show students that engineering can be both fascinating and fun. Oregon City Robotics FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Team 2550 was selected to participate in the challenge to design, engineer, and build a t-shirt launcher with the help of an Intel mentor. The prototype launcher has already made a couple of appearances at games during halftime. Its official debut was on December 12 during half-time to entertain the crowd. The FIRST robot demonstrations have gone so well that Intel and the Trail Blazers are looking to include additional FRC teams for a scrimmage half-time show later in the season.
Team 2550 was a rookie FRC team last year that made it to the FIRST Championship in Atlanta. Three out of the four seniors on the team went to college on scholarships; one to University of Portland for Engineering, one to Harvard for Astro Physics, and one to CMU for Robotics. With their FIRST competition experience under their belts, Team 2550 knew they could rise to the occasion and show the sports crowds what FIRST students can do.

