DERRY, NH – On Dec. 15 the University of New Hampshire (UNH) will host the finals of the state’s Cyber Robotics Coding Competition (CRCC), being held by the New Hampshire Department of Education (NH DOE) and the Intelitek STEM and CTE Education Foundation (ISCEF). The CRCC, sponsored by Intelitek and Oracle Academy, is an eight-week virtual coding competition in partnership with UNH and New Hampshire 4-H that provides students and educators with the opportunity to build STEM related skills using a cloud-based simulation platform featuring a virtual, 3D-animated robot. Frank Edelblut, the commissioner of the NH DOE, will be on hand to give out awards.
“We are very excited by the commitment that the University of New Hampshire is making to the Cyber Robotics Coding Competition,” said Edelblut. “Students will be competing with their peers from across New Hampshire inside one of our state’s premiere learning institutions while also learning new skills and having fun. What a great opportunity for everyone.”
The NH DOE and Intelitek have been excited to collaborate to create this competition and in doing so, gave rise to an international phenomenon that has resulted in more than 50,000 students all over the world participating in similar events.
“NH 4-H is excited to co-host the 2018 NH CRCC final competition, here at UNH,” said Kate Guerdat, Ed.D, associate state 4-H program leader. “Intelitek’s collaborative and innovative approach to increasing access to STEM experiences for diverse NH communities aligns with UNH Cooperative Extension’s priority of meeting people where they are. As the youth outreach component of Cooperative Extension, NH 4-H looks forward to not only supporting the capacity building experience for youth, but engaging families in STEM learning as well.”
In the first New Hampshire CRCC, held at the end of 2017, more than 2,500 students in middle and high schools throughout the state used CoderZ, a cloud-based coding platform to compete in more than 80 different and challenging robotics missions. In addition to winning prizes for inclusiveness, faculty participation and diversity, the top schools competed in a grand finale competition for the best middle school, best high school and a grand prize called the Governor’s Award. (Gallery).
“UNH has an incredible computer science program that has prepared graduates to work at industry giants such as Apple, Google and Microsoft, so of course the UNH computer lab is a very fitting locale for the CRCC Finals,” said Ido Yerushalmi, CEO of Intelitek. “We are very excited to be working with such a great institution to expand student access to coding.”
The NH CRCC will be held from mid-October to mid-December. To register a school, club or community organization for the event, visit https://crcc.io/signup.
For more information on CRCC competitions, go https://crcc.io/new-hampshire/ or contact Danny Watt, Director of CRCC at ISCEF, at dwatt@iscefoundation.org.
