Mississippi FIRST® Tech Challenge Program

Inspiring Students Through STEM and Robotics

The Center for Mathematics and Science Education at the University of Mississippi is proud to be the program partner for the Mississippi FIRST® Tech Challenge robotics program since 2012.

We are a statewide community focused on building a better world for tomorrow by engaging students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) while they design, build, and compete with robots in an annual challenge.

FIRST® Tech Challenge teaches students in grades 7-12 the value of hard work, innovation, creativity, and teamwork.

What is the FIRST Tech Challenge?

It’s way more than building robots. FIRST Tech Challenge teams (team members aged 12-18) are challenged to design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in a head-to-head competition in an alliance format. Participants call it “the hardest fun you’ll ever have!”

• Guided by adult coaches and mentors, students develop STEM skills and practice engineering principles, while realizing the value of hard work, innovation, and working as a team. The robot kit is reusable from year-to-year and can be coded using a variety of levels of Java-based programming.

Teams design and build robots, raise funds, design and market their team brand, and 

do community outreach to earn specific awards. Participants are eligible to apply for over $80M in college scholarships throughout the country.