Louisville is one of the top convention cities in the country, and the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation (REC) is just one of many organizations that utilize our convention center. REC hosts competitions all over the world for young robotics teams, and they have chosen Louisville as the home for their world championship "Vex Worlds." They moved to Louisville last April, coinciding with Thunder Over Louisville weekend, and brought over 15 thousand students, parents, teachers and mentors from all over the world to crown the world champions.
2015 VEX Worlds included 850 of the best robotics teams from nearly 30 countries that participated in the elementary, middle, high school, and college-level divisions of competition. The competition was held in Louisville at the Kentucky Exhibition Center; occupying two arenas, multiple exhibit halls over 1.2 million square feet. The team after-party was held at Kentucky Kingdom which is adjacent to the Kentucky Exhibition Center. Over 600 volunteers generously gave their time and expertise, working hard to ensure that all participants had a good experience. The organization expects to host over 1,000 teams in 2016 and needs 800-1000 volunteers. Volunteer roles are available to accommodate any skill level from beginner to experienced and range from part-time to full-day positions. Volunteers do not need to know anything about robotics and can be as young as ten- years-old. Some of the volunteer roles, such as the 150 plus judges needed, will need to participate in some training before hand.
This is a great opportunity for young people to be immersed in a fun and engaging robotics environment and put volunteering credits on their resumes. Adults have the opportunity to help Jefferson County students benefit from robotics education and competition. To volunteer, contact Pam Caudill at pam_caudill@roboticseducation.org.
Photography: Vex Worlds 2015 provided by REC.
