Middle and high school students will have a chance to take what they learn in the technology classroom and compete in the third annual Tech Wars competition Thursday at Genesee Community College.
Registration for the College Tech Prep event begins at 9 a.m. and the competition starts at 9:30 a.m. From catapults to robots, manual drafting to Web page design, the imagination and creativity of some of the brightest students in the GLOW (Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming Counties) region will be showcased during this day-long event.
There will be multiple project-based events of skill, chance and ability. Students will compete in bridge building, drafting, sumo robots, T-shirt design, carbon dioxide dragster racing, among other events. The highlight of this year's event will once again be the Robotic Tractor Pull. Two new events are Sculpture and Rube Goldberg Machines.
"Interest in this competition continues to grow each year," said Debbie Dunlevy, the college's Tech Prep Program director and coordinator co-chair of the Tech Wars competition. "It's not only a lot of fun, but it gets young people exploring the wide array of careers in technology.
"Sometimes what they learn and share on the floor of GCC is transferred to a conversation at home, and that can translate into thinking about careers, education and employment down the road."
The Tech Wars competition was inspired from a similar competition currently held through Niagara County Community College. That event is now in its 13th year and attracts as many as 600 students from Western New York to compete.
"The ultimate goal of the Tech Wars is to encourage these kids to think beyond the classroom, engage their creativity, strengthen their team-building and problem-solving skills and embrace technology as a fun and rewarding way to make a living," Dunlevy said. "It may seem like a tall order, but it happens each year at the Tech Wars. We love hosting this fun yet educational event."
College Tech Prep helps students explore various career options and make a smooth transition from high school to college and ultimately to professional careers. The Tech Wars is among several dynamic programs giving students the opportunity to work in hands-on learning encounters, often within business settings and with various professionals.
College Tech Prep offers several distinctive career academies to high school students including: Heath, Legal, Information Technology, and the new Theatre Arts Academy offered in tandem by Genesee Community College theater classes and instructors Maryanne Arena and Ed Hallborg. In addition, there is also a Virtual Enterprise Business program available to high school students.
For more information, please contact Dunlevy, College Tech Prep Program director at Genesee Community College, at 585-343-0055 x6316 or dkdunlevy@genesee.edu <http://dkdunlevy@genesee.edu.>. More information can also be found at the Tech Wars website, http://www.techwars.org. <http://www.techwars.org>
