MID-ATLANTIC BROADBAND PROMOTES STEM LEARNING THROUGH ROBOTICS SPONSORSHIPS

South Boston, VA. – January 24, 2014 – Mid-Atlantic Broadband (MBC) is proud to announce their commitment to sponsor the five FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) teams in Southern Virginia for the 2014 season.  MBC is honored for the opportunity to partner with, for a second year, the Virginia-based affiliate of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an international non-profit mentoring organization that promotes a similar vision for students that are drawn to science and technology.  Countless students, teachers, and volunteers have pledged their time and talents to this program in their workshops and ultimately in the arena, becoming leaders in a modern approach for the cultivation of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) based academics.

Martinsville High School (MADawgs #3258), G.W. High School (Talon #1598), Chatham High School (RoboCavs #1095), Bluestone High School (Skrappy #1413), and Piedmont Governor’s School for Mathematics, Science, & Technology (STAGS #1262) are the five FRC teams to benefit from the $6,000 per team donation given by Mid-Atlantic Broadband.  This generous donation helps dissolve the financial obstacles of participating in the FIRST competitions throughout the state.

In preparation for competition, students participating in this program are challenged in multiple fields, including electronics, programming, pneumatics, business/marketing, etc.  This year’s FRC competition is entitled AERIAL ASSIST^SM, where the teams have two and a half minutes to score as many balls in the goals as possible.  Teamwork is key in this game, as the alliances made up of three teams can score bonus points by assisting the other teams in the alliance score a goal.

Mid-Atlantic Broadband continues to be an advocate for FIRST founder Dean Kamen’s dream, “To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders,” in Southern Virginia.  MBC wishes these five teams best of luck in competition.