A robot competitor gets ready to hoist itself off the ground at the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics regional competition at the Cal Expo Showgrounds March 19. The Sacramento event was sponsored by UC Davis and opened by Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw and Enrique Lavernia, dean of the College of Engineering. Founded by Segway scooter inventor Dean Kamen, the competition pits robots built by teams of high school students, working with professional engineers as mentors, against each other in a challenging game. More than 30 teams took part in the regional event, with the top teams going forward to the national championship in Atlanta, Ga., April 15-17. At the closing ceremonies on March 20, Associate Dean of Engineering Karen McDonald was presented with a special award for her "Outstanding Volunteer Efforts" on behalf of the competition.