More than 90 teams of students from across Arkansas will be at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on Jan. 19 for the third annual VEX Robotics Tournament.

The competition will take place 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. on the basketball courts in the Donaghey Student Center. The event is free and open to the public. The best time for the public to view the competition is 9 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m.

This year, 20 elementary school teams, 47 middle school teams, and 25 high school teams will compete. The teams have already been assigned a task and are building their robots. At the competition, the teams maneuver their robots to perform certain tasks and score points. High scorers advance to the state competition.

The VEX IQ program, for elementary school students, is a snap-together robotics system designed to provide educational opportunities to future engineers of all skill levels. It is the predecessor for robotics competitions at the middle school/high school (VEX EDR) and university (VEX U) levels.

UA Little Rock’s team – “Just a Prototype” – is the state’s only university-level VEX U team. This year, the UA Little Rock team will be assisting with inspection and skills during the competition.

Volunteers are needed to help with registration, inspection, and field setup as well as serve as judges and referees. Those interested in volunteering may fill out this online form. Sandra Leiterman, math specialist in the UA Little Rock Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Educational Center and the coach for UA Little Rock’s VEX U team, said the event is part of the university’s effort to get educators and students interested in robotics. For more information, contact Leiterman at 920-227-8576 or saleiterman@ualr.edu.