Old Westbury, NY – Robots will face off on an obstacle course at the Creative Contraptions Competition at NYIT-Old Westbury, held on Thursday, April 28. Designed by students in the School of Engineering and Computing Sciences, the robots will compete to retrieve as much water as possible in a given time.

NYIT created the competition to encourage the participation of women in the science and engineering fields, so each team must include at least one female member. The competition also reflects global issues. Providing water to communities in under-developed regions, for example, is a task that falls predominantly to the least powerful individuals in the community—girls and women.

The five teams began working on their robots more than six months ago, starting with a specialized Lego kit and $500 for materials. The designs and programming of the robots will differ among teams, but all must be capable of efficiently carrying water.

The competition has become increasingly popular since it began three years ago, and 16 students from as far as Belgium and South Africa are competing this year.

The winning team will receive $2,400; second place will receive $1,500; and third place team will receive $900. The competition is sponsored by New York Community Bank and IEEE Foundation.

Designs will be judged by NYIT alumnae Thelma Arceo (M.S. '87), director of technical services at Community Environmental Center, Inc., and Dawn Kogler (B.S. '87), senior manager, enterprise information technology architect for Long Island Rail Road.

The Creative Contraptions Competition will be held on Thursday, April 28, at the Sports Complex at the Old Westbury campus. Presentations will begin at noon, and the competition will follow at 1 p.m.

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About NYIT

New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers 90 degree programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, in more than 50 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has 15,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan, online, and at its global campuses. NYIT sponsors 11 NCAA Division II programs and one Division I team.

Led by President Edward Guiliano, NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. To date, 85,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.

Briana Samuels
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