MOUNT OLIVE TWP. Student-built robots from 36 high school teams in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts will battle each other in the Mid-Atlantic District FIRST Robotics Competition (www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc) on Saturday and Sunday, March 7 and 8, at Mount Olive High School

In conjunction with the competition, the school will host its third Marauder Maker Fest, featuring science and technology activities for all ages. A junior Lego robotics exposition will be held on March 7. All events are free and open to the public.

The robots will compete for district rankings in a game called Infinite Recharge. Using an outer-space theme, the competition requires robots to protect FIRSTCity from incoming asteroids. The teams also need to collect and score Power Cells to energize the Shield Protector. They must complete this all before the end of the match, when they must race to the rendezvous point, said a statement.

Top-ranked robots from district competitions advance to regional and, potentially, world robotics events later this spring. Teams also compete for various awards, including the prestigious Chairmans Award for its overall program.

The Mount Olive competition, which annually attracts more than 2,000 students, parents and residents, this year will include robots from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts as well as teams from Morris, Sussex, Warren, Somerset, Passaic, Essex, Union, Bergen, Hudson, Middlesex and Cumberland counties.

Brandon Holley, a 2005 graduate and Mount Olive Robotics Team (MORT 11) alumnus, is one of the mentors of a Boston team attending the FRC event.

Over the years, MORT graduates have gone on to mentor teams all over the United States, from the East to West Coast, said Ernie DiCicco, MORT event coordinator of the Mount Olive district competition. Brandon is just one of these successful young men who has become a mentor for a highly successful team in Boston.

DiCicco applauded former high school Principal Kevin Stansberrys ongoing support for the robotics program and event, and how Stansberry had scheduled the Maker Fest three years in a row to coincide with the multi-state competition.

Since FIRST robotics is an ultimate demonstration of STEM (science, technology,engineering and math) activities, the Mount Olive School District felt it was appropriate timing to have the events in conjunction with one another, said DiCicco.

The goal, he said, is to make STEM education available to everyone.

The FIRST district event also will include a presentation by a female executive on women in STEM. Sponsored by Johnson & Johnson, it is planned during lunchtime on March 7 and is open to all.

This years Maker Fest will include: Future City project demonstrations by the Mount Olive Middle School Gifted and Talented Program; Technology Student Association displays; a 3D demonstration and interactive activity; greeting card activities; and Engineering and Art with Strawbees.

The March 7 junior robotics exposition will showcase this years First Lego League (FLL) competition Boomtown projects of students 6 to 9 years old.

Mount Olive is home to Mount Olive Robotics Team 11 (mort11.org), which hosts and competes in international FIRST robotics competitions as well as participates in multiple service projects each year. Now in its 24th year, the team involves about 70 students and pioneered the concept of a second, freshman team (Beta 193). Mount Olive High School is home to a full robotics shop that is funded with the support from the school district and team sponsors.

All are welcome to attend the Maker Fest from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.,

Saturday, March 7; the FLL exposition from 10 a.m.to 1 p.m., March 7; and the Infinite Recharge competition from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., March 7 and 8.

On March 7, shuttle service to remote parking will be available if needed to accommodate overflow parking.

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Thousands expected to jam Mount Olive High for robotics competition - New Jersey Hills