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UTSA sponsors Feb. 16 half-day international trade mini-conference
Small business owners can learn about free-trade opportunities with Colombia
UTSA Graduate School hosts information sessions in South Texas
Information sessions are in Brownsville, McAllen, Laredo, Corpus Christi
Nursing honor society hosts Feb. 22 health-care research conference
Conference email registration deadline is Feb. 15
Health writer Gary Taubes to discuss alternate theory on why people get fat
Free lecture is Feb. 8 in University Center Retama Auditorium, UTSA Main Campus
UT System Research Cyberinfrastructure Initiative to bring analysis growth
New initiative creates technical, cultural environment for data warehousing, analysis
S.A. Metro Health honors UTSA Roadrunner Cafe for healthy food choices
Main Campus eatery designated 'Por Vida!' healthy restaurant
University Excellence Awards: Nomination deadline extended to Feb. 10
Ceremony combines University Excellence Awards and Faculty Honors Convocation
Coordinating Board approves UTSA psychology doctorate in military health
New program is first in Texas, second in nation with emphasis on military support
Free or low-cost workshops: Learn from UTSA's small business experts
Learn about planning, government contracting, international trade, sustainability
Dinner and smart chat: Buy 'Great Conversation!' tickets now
UTSA fundraiser benefiting Honors College scholarships is Feb. 29
Easier recycling: UTSA adopts new single-stream recycling process
Recycle paper, aluminum, plastics, cardboard in blue bins formerly paper only
UTSA gallery presents prints by 19th century Mexican illustrator
Broadsheets entertained masses with tantalizing headlines, intrigue, verse, graphics
UTSA hosts distinguished urban planner Alexander Garvin for Feb. 2 lecture
Veteran of five city administrations, Garvin to speak on public parks, livable cities
Seven UTSA master's programs recognized by Eduniversal international group
UTSA business, liberal and fine arts, public policy colleges receive honors
UTSA hosts UT System Chancellor's Council Executive Committee Jan. 27-28
Council of 250+ members meets, participates in breakout sessions
Roadrunners complete season sweep of Sam Houston State, 78-66
UTSA men's basketball extends winning streak to five games
Houston-based Pilgrim Academy wins annual UTSA robotics competition
GEAR competition winning team from Pilgrim Academy in Houston
>> Watch a video recap of the 2010 GEAR Competition (Video by Stephanie Shropshire)
Share this Story(March 30, 2010)--Amidst loud rock music, cheering parents and high emotions, a three-student team from Pilgrim Academy in Houston emerged victorious at the 2010 Getting Excited About Robots (GEAR) Competition Saturday, March 27 at the UTSA Convocation Center. Sponsored by the AT&T Foundation and hosted by the Interactive Technology Experience Center (iTEC) in the UTSA College of Engineering the competition featured nearly 600 third through eighth graders divided into 117 teams, making GEAR the largest all-American robotics competition for children in the nation.
The GEAR 2010 game, "Up and Atom," was based on the Hadron Collider, a sophisticated tool used to research atoms, their structure and the development of new materials. Using balls, washers, magnets and switches on a four by eight-foot obstacle course-style playing field, competitors' robots injected "ions" and removed "protons" from plasma flow containers, retrieved "top quarks" and removed defective magnets.
Three seeding rounds narrowed the field from 117 teams to 16. Then, the 16 semi-finalist teams were whittled down to four. The final four included Discovery First from the School of Science & Technology Discovery in San Antonio, TMI Robotics Club from The Episcopal School of Texas in San Antonio and Triangulators from Boerne Middle School. But in the end, the finalist team from Pilgrim Academy emerged victorious.
"Engineers turn imagination and dreams into reality," said Mauli Agrawal, dean of the UTSA College of Engineering, to participants at the competition's closing award ceremony. "In 1961, President John F. Kennedy said, 'We're going to put a man on the moon.' People thought we couldn't do it. But guess what? Engineers delivered. You are all very talented. Work hard in your science and math classes, and you, too, will grow up to be scientists and engineers."
Founded by Robert Acosta, GEAR offers young students a fun opportunity to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics while growing their creativity, teamwork and problem solving skills. Although UTSA has hosted GEAR for four years, the 2010 competition was the first to be hosted by iTEC with the support of a $1.5 million grant from the AT&T Foundation, the philanthropic arm of AT&T Inc.
"We are proud of our support of iTEC and thrilled to see an increased interest in the fields of engineering and science, and the students' connection between education and their best future," said Michelle Thomas, AT&T assistant vice president - external affairs.
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About the UTSA Interactive Technology Experience Center (iTEC)
Housed in the UTSA College of Engineering, iTEC is a four-year project that began in 2007 with a $1.5 million grant provided by the AT&T Foundation. The iTEC mission is to inspire youth by creating an environment where they can understand how engineering, science and technology shape our lives and the future of our world. The center's areas of thrust include robotics, telecommunications, scanning electron microscope applications and design for manufacturing.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates -- AT&T operating companies -- are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services, and TV services under the AT&T U-verse and AT&T-DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE magazine's list of the World's Most Admired Companies.
For more information about products and services, visit the AT&T Inc. Web site, follow their news on Twitter at @ATTNews, consumer and wireless services at ATT on Facebook and small business services at ATTSmallBiz on Facebook.
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