FAIRMONT - Competitive Robotics in West Virginia has reached an all-time high with more teams across the state than ever before.
The West Virginia Robotics Alliance, managed by the Education Resource Center (ERC) team at the NASA Katherine Johnson IV&V Facility, released new data for the 2023-24 Robotics Season that shows a peak in the number of teams and steady growth over the last several years.
"The ERC assumed management of the FIRST LEGO League tournament in 2011 when we had barely 50 teams in West Virginia," ERC Program Manager Dr. Todd Ensign said. "Today, there are over 550 teams that engage approximately 3,000 students almost daily!"
According to the data, the overall number of robotics teams in the state has risen every year since 2011 - with one exception during the 2020-21 season when the COVID-19 pandemic impacted participation.
The ERC now runs qualifying events every weekend, numerous state championships, invitational tournaments, and international competitions. Ensign and many other figures within the ERC and Robotics Alliance have championed robotics events and opportunities for students across the state, including in some of its most rural communities, to help reach this point.
"This is indeed an achievement on behalf of the students, coaches, parents, schools and districts who are supporting competitive robotics," Ensign said.
