TULSA ROBOTICS CENTER (“the TRC”)
Located at 4500 S. 129th East Ave., the Tulsa Robotics Center (TRC) is a 10,000-square-foot facility generously provided by the Corporate Woods office complex. The TRC was founded to introduce youth in grades 2nd-12th to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) through hands-on robotics programs and competitions within the FIRST organization.
The facility features a large, open practice area for our FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) teams to train, scrimmage, and host events, along with dedicated spaces for FIRST LEGO League (FLL) teams and our FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team. Each of our four FTC teams has its own office space, supported by two dedicated “Collab Lab” conference rooms that foster collaboration among teams and community partners. A fully equipped classroom with computers and monitors supports continuing education in programming, CAD design, safety, and other STEM disciplines. To further elevate student learning and competitiveness, TRC is outfitted with multiple 3D printers, CNC machines, and a wide range of advanced fabrication tools.
The Tulsa Robotics Center Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization.
WHAT IS FIRST ROBOTICS?
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a multinational non-profit organization that aspires to transform culture, making science, math, engineering, and technology as cool for kids as sports are today.
FIRST was created in order to educate students in the STEM fields. Dean Kamen, FIRST founder and a certified savant, stated that he came up with this idea when he was at a science museum. He noticed that the children that were there had various jerseys of famous athletes. He asked these kids to name famous athletes and they did so with ease. However, when he asked them to name a famous engineer or scientist, they could not answer. He then wondered what it would be like if there was a sport that was much like conventional athletic sports, but for STEM fields. And thus, FIRST was born.
FIRST was founded in 1989 and operates the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) in which teams of high school students, sponsored and assisted by local companies and volunteers, design, assemble, and test a robot capable of performing a specific task in competition with other teams. FIRST also runs the FIRST LEGO® League (FLL) for children 8-14 years old. Along with FLL and FRC, FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) allows students in grades 8-12 another opportunity to get involved in FIRST.
