Welcome to the FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics Program in Mississippi! We are a statewide community focused on building a better world for tomorrow by engaging students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). FIRST Tech Challenge teaches students the value of hard work, innovation, and creativity.
The Center for Mathematics and Science Education at the University of Mississippi serves as the FIRST Tech Challenge Program Delivery Partner for the state of Mississippi.
FIRST FORWARDSM presented by Qualcomm is our transportation-themed competition season for 2021-2022. Transportation drives us forward, impacting economies around the world and making us all more globally interconnected. This year’s theme, FIRST teams have the power to reimagine a path forward and invent the future of transportation.
It’s time to be transported. It’s time to move full speed ahead. It’s time to move FIRST FORWARD!
Transportation drives us forward – impacting economies, bridging cultures, and making us all more globally interconnected.
FIRST® Tech Challenge teams will race against time to transport hard-to-move essential goods as they explore the future of transporting relief to those in need in the 2021-2022 challenge:
FREIGHT FRENZYSM presented by Raytheon Technologies
2022-2023 Schedule of Events
Plans are underway for the 2022-2023 FREIGHT FRENZY season. Our current plan is to hold traditional in-person events.
September 18, 2021 – FIRST Tech Challenge Kickoff Event – Hartfield Academy, Flowood, MS
Build season and Scrimmages: October 2021 – November 2021
League Meet events: November 2021 – January 2022
Held at various locations throughout the state
Central League Tournament: January 22, 2022 – Pearl, MS
Southern League Tournament: January 2022 – February 2022 – TBA
Northern League Tournament: February 19, 2022 – Water Valley, MS
Mississippi FIRST Tech Challenge Championship: March 4-5, 2022 – Oxford, MS
FIRST World Championships: April 19-23 – Houston, TX
2021-2022 League Information
Beginning with the 2020-2021 season, the Mississippi FIRST Tech Challenge (MS FTC) implemented leagues. A league is a group of 10-16 FIRST Tech Challenge teams in Mississippi that compete together in a series of league meets. Leagues are generally formed based on geography and are defined by the MS FTC Program Committee. The intent of league implementation is to provide teams with more opportunities to participate in the annual game challenge. Teams compete at league meets which are smaller than the traditional qualifiers hosted in the past and do not involve judging or award recognition. The league selects teams or assigns committees to plan the meets. Each league will host at least five league meets, one judging practice sessions for teams of the league and the league tournament. The meets and league tournament replace the traditional qualifying tournament advancement system.
Teams participate in as few or as many league meets as they choose, but participating in more meets may improve their league ranking as the top 10 match scores across all league meets are carried into the league tournament. All teams in a league participate in the league tournament where an additional five matches are played to determine overall ranking for the alliance selection process. Teams may advance to the state championship from the league tournaments. The number of teams that may advance from a league tournament will vary and will be determined by the number of teams eligible for the league tournament, the number of participating leagues in Mississippi, and the number of teams the Mississippi Championship can accommodate. Teams advance to the Mississippi FIRST Tech Challenge Championship based on the criteria listed in Part 1 of the FIRST Tech Challenge Game Manual.
The Mississippi FIRST Tech Challenge Leagues are organized geographically with an initial grouping of three leagues: the Northern League, the Central League, and the Southern League (see map image below). League Coordinators have been named and are responsible for the implementation of the league meets and the League Tournament.
The Mississippi FIRST Tech Challenge Championship tournament is tentatively planned for the weekend of March 4-5, 2022 at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. More details will be announced as plans firm up.
Here are the results of from the 2020-2021 ULTIMATE GOAL Season:
Inspire Award | 1st Place: #8651 – Wait For It… (Rankin Robotics, Pearl, MS) |
Think Award | 1st Place: #3486 – Techno Warriors Advanced (Central Mississippi Robotics, Brandon, MS) |
Connect Award | 1st Place: #14236 – Slight Malfunction (Community Group, Wesson, MS) 2nd Place: #16151 – R U Serious (NGenius Learning, Brandon, MS) |
Collins Aerospace Innovate Award | 1st Place: #7802 – Challenge Accepted (Northwest MS Robotics, Senatobia, MS) |
Design Award | 1st Place: #6273 – TechnoCats (Bogue Chitto Attendance Center, Bogue Chitto, MS) 2nd Place: #8803 – East Rankin Robotics (East Rankin Academy, Pelahatchie, MS) |
Motivate Award | 1st Place: #16151 – R U Serious (NGenius Learning, Brandon, MS) 2nd Place: #8341 – The RAMs (Vicksburg Academy of Innovation Robotics, Vicksburg, MS) |
| Control Award presented by ARM, Inc. | 1st Place: #8803 – East Rankin Robotics (East Rankin Academy, Pelahatchie, MS) 2nd Place: #12390 – The Robotic Raiders (The Lamar School, Meridian, MS) |
| Judge’s Award “Giving Tree Award” | #6556 – Tempest St. Patrick’s Catholic High School, Biloxi, MS |
| Promote Award | #11279 – Pure Imagination Grenada High School, Grenada, MS |
| Compass Award | Jordan Hariel #8651 – Wait For It…, Rankin Robotics, Pearl, MS |
| Program Delivery Partner’s Award | Mr. Reggie Wise Bogue Chitto Attendance Center, Bogue Chitto, MS |
| Courage Award in memory of Dawn Lyles | All coaches who serve as public and private school teachers (53) Award Presented to Jennifer Carwile |
Dean’s List Finalists | Finalist #1: Kenna G., #8651 – Wait For It… Finalist #2: Mary J., #3486 – Techno Warriors Advanced Finalist #3: Jacob L., #7802 – Challenge Accepted |
For additional information, please contact:
Center for Mathematics and Science Education
The University of Mississippi
1111 Jackson Avenue W., Suite Q
P.O. Box 1848
University, MS 38677
Phone: (662) 915-6621
Fax: (662) 915-1762
Email: first@olemiss.edu
It’s way more than building robots. FIRST Tech Challenge teams (up to 15 members, students aged for grades 7-12) are challenged to design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in a head-to-head challenge in an alliance format. Participants call it “the hardest fun you’ll ever have!”
Guided by adult coaches and mentors, students develop STEM skills and practice engineering principles (like keeping an engineering notebook), while realizing the value of hard work, innovation, and sharing ideas. The robot kit is reusable from year to year and can be coded using a variety of languages, including Java. Teams design and build robots, raise funds, design and market their team brand, and do community outreach to earn specific awards.
Participants have access to over 80 million dollars in scholarships at over 200 colleges and universities. Find out more at firstinspires.org.
There are many ways to get involved with MS FIRST Tech Challenge! Individuals can mentor teams, volunteer at events, or join committees to help organize events. FIRST Tech Challenge is supported by a growing network of sponsors that provide funding, mentorship, time, talent, equipment, and more. FIRST Tech Challenge is privileged to have the support of some of the most respected organizations in the world.
A video of the 2020-2021 Mississippi Championship Awards presentation may be viewed here.
