NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

All Earth Ecobot Challenge - Tasks Finalized For Teams On Website

HOUSTON, Feb. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Education Foundation of Harris County has identified and finalized the tasks the Ecobot Teams have to complete in the All Earth Ecobot Challenge taking place Saturday, April 17, 2010 at Reliant Center. This year the competition - which is sponsored by Reliant Energy, NRG Energy and Waste Management - has over 280 teams entered from school districts across the state.

The Theme of the All Earth Ecobot Challenge is Reduce, reuse, recycle and conserve. The Objective is using the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education NXT kit, teams will build a robot that can accomplish five tasks related to energy conservation and the environment. The Field is divided into five tasks which demonstrate: Energy Conservation, Energy Diversification, and the use of Bio Fuel, a Solar Gate, and a Smart Meter. Please view www.ecobotchallenge.com to read the tasks in detail. To further enhance the student experience, teams will develop Microsoft® PowerPoint presentations which market the potential environmental services of their robot, flexing their students' communication and marketing presentation skills.

A new component added to the 2010 event is the Jobs of the Future Pavilion which will include colleges and businesses showing the path to success in the workforce of the future. Exhibits by sponsors and partner organizations will provide additional insight on recycling, re-use, reduction of waste and/or career opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as these disciplines relate to the environment.

The Education Foundation of Harris County is an efficient conduit for corporate philanthropy, foundations and individual contributions supporting innovative academic programming, educational competitions and quality after school education enrichment activities in the twenty-six independent school district area comprising Harris County, Texas. Its mission creating opportunities for all children promotes the vision that every child can learn and succeed given opportunity and education. Sponsors and/or in-kind opportunities are still available to provide robots to registered teams. If you are interested in assisting with student participation, contact: Douglas H. Kleiner, President and CEO- Education Foundation of Harris County, dkleiner@hcde-texas.org, 6300 Irvington Blvd., Suite 305, Houston, TX 77022, (713) 696-8290.

SOURCE Education Foundation of Harris County