The Beach Cities Robotics team is composed of students from Mira Costa and Redondo Union High Schools. The Robotics program is open to all high school students, and has no grade point prerequisite. This allows us to recruit underachieving students as well as honors students. Students, who would not have otherwise pursued science or math, are drawn to this program by its unique, interesting, and enjoyable approach. Through participation in this program, the members receive experience in a variety of aspects of teamwork and robot building, resulting in the development of important and valuable life skills. By working along with engineers and science teachers in Redondo Union High School's robotics shop, MCHS and RUHS students are exposed to diverse engineering applications while they learn how to work well with the adults. In this way, the students recognize the daily life of an engineer, how he or she works with his/her peers to create ideas and fabricate them using technology. As there are always adults to supervise during work hours at the auto-shop, all members actively and safely participate in constructing the robot, a unique and privileged opportunity for high school students. By creating, problem solving, and working together, the students build a strong sense of teamwork, which is essential to the real world work place. 

Our Vision

Beach Cities Robotics provides incentives for high school students to enter the world of engineering and science technology. We share the vision of FIRST, For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology, developing curiosity and passion in students. What We Do

We design and build a robot to compete in regional and national events. We meet regularly to solve the problems set before us. In order to build our robot, we study physics, mathematics and other relevant science and technology. We build a robot that will lift and toss balls or climb ramps and still defend itself from the competition's robot. Our Partnership with Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman, located in Redondo Beach, is the primary sponsor for Beach Cities Robotics. Northrop Grumman provides engineers to work with students and to assist in the concept, design, construction and programming of the robot. Northrop Grumman Foundation provides grants to support Beach Cities Robotics in both regional and national competitions.

FIRST (from usfirst.org)

The FIRST Robotics Competition is an exciting, multinational competition that teams professionals and young people to solve an engineering design problem in an intense and competitive way. The program is a life-changing, career-molding experience—and a lot of fun. In 2004 the competition will reach more than 20,000 students on over 900 teams in 27 competitions. Our teams come from Canada, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Great Britain, and almost every U.S. state. The competitions are high-tech spectator sporting events, the result of lots of focused brainstorming, real-world teamwork, dedicated mentoring, project timelines, and deadlines.

Colleges, universities, corporations, businesses, and individuals provide scholarships to our participants. Involved engineers experience again many of the reasons they chose engineering as a profession, and the companies they work for contribute to the community while they prepare and create their future workforce. The competition shows students that the technological fields hold many opportunities and that the basic concepts of science, math, engineering, and invention are exciting and interesting.

4/1 9:00AM-5:00PM
4/2 9:00AM-4:00PM
Fees: Free

The Forum
3900 W Manchester Blvd I
nglewood, CA 90305
310-330-7300

The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Southern California regional robotics competition will have 52 teams of high school students competing for a chance to go to the 2005 FIRST championships, to be held April 21 through 23 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. NASA and JPL are providing mentor engineers to help and the students were given six weeks of intensive design and construction. Each team builds a robot to compete in a game. This year's game is called "triple play" and resembles a game of tic-tac-toe.

An animation of this year's game is at Robotic Animation
More information about the competition is at US First
More information on NASA's Robotics Education Project is at Robotics NASA