Digi-Key Supports Young Engineers at Second Annual Minnesota State Robotics Tournament

Young engineers gather for live robot competition, education and entertainment

THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minnesota, USA - May 15, 2013

Digi-Key Corporation, the industry leader in electronic component selection, availability and delivery, is sponsoring the second annual Minnesota State Robotics Tournament taking place on Saturday, May 18 at Williams Arena at the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. Hundreds of high school engineering enthusiasts from across the state will gather at the tournament to battle student-designed, -built and -controlled robots for the top spot.

"Encouraging high school students to engage in engineering fields is one of the ways Digi-Key supports Minnesota's next generation of engineers," said Digi-Key President Mark Larson. "Through our sponsorship of the Minnesota State High School League's Robotics Tournament, we are able help our local youth learn about this complex field in a fun and unique way."

Digi-Key's support of Minnesota's next generation of engineers is reflective of job projections in this booming field. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), science and engineering occupations are projected to grow by more than 20 percent between 2008 and 2018. By supporting education and engagement in engineering programs Digi-Key can help Minnesota fill future engineering positions within our state and elsewhere.

The Tournament

Thirty participating teams and their robots will go head-to-head (or circuit board-to-circuit board) in a uniquely designed challenge to test the robots' abilities and strengths.

This year's Ultimate AscentSM challenge requires competing teams to score points by helping the robots land flying discs into goals. The remote-controlled robots have only two minutes and 15 seconds for each match. Goals are placed at different heights and the higher the goal, the higher the score.

The matches conclude with student drivers attempting to guide their robots up pyramids placed on each half of the competition area. The higher a robot climbs, the more points earned.

The 2013 State Robotics Tournament is free of charge. Opening ceremonies will begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 18. For more details, please visit www.mshsl.org/mshsl/robotics.asp.

About Digi-Key Corporation

Digi-Key Corporation, based in Thief River Falls, Minn., is a global, full-service provider of both prototype/design and production quantities of electronic components, offering more than three million products from over 650 quality name-brand manufacturers. With over one million products in stock and an impressive selection of online resources, Digi-Key is committed to stocking the broadest range of electronic components in the industry and providing the best service possible to its customers. Additional information and access to Digi-Key's broad product offering is available on the Digi-Key website.