Hundreds of students battle it out at tri-state robotics competition
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FLUSHING, Queens (PIX111) -- It's a battle of the brains.
Hundreds of students from the tri-state area competed at one of the country's largest robotics competitions at Vaughn College on Sunday.
Among the competitors was Brian Katz, the coach for a small but strong six-student team from Babylon.
"Every year, the game changes. This year it’s a stacking game primarily," he said.
At the competition, each robot is given the same challenge in the form of a game, and they compete against one another to see who can do it better and faster.
"I feel great. This is our first tournament of the year. We learn a lot during the first tournament," he said.
Katz gets a helping hand from his daughter, Isabella, an honorary team member.
"For me, it’s really seeing what my dad does, seeing what he’s so passionate about," she said.
"He's definitely inspired me. I’m going to nursing school, and I think I definitely got the passion for my dad of problem solving," she said.
Hundreds of spectators watched the event on a live stream as the robots went head-to-head for the ultimate title.
The father-daughter duo tells us they’ve noticed an uptick in interest when it comes to STEM and robotics.
"When it first started at the high school level, it was pretty exclusive, pretty expensive. But with leagues like the VEX league, it’s more accessible," Coach Katz said.
"I see especially more girls," said Isabella, who thinks some movies and TV shows have sparked an interest in robotics for young women.
"Probably 'Mean Girls' and 'Never Have I Ever,' watching women step out into STEM fields has inspired more women to get into STEM," she said.