Hundreds of high school students from across the state will converge on the campus of UNC Pembroke this weekend for the annual FIRST North Carolina Robotics Competition.

Students from 30 high school and community robotics teams will compete for bragging rights and a chance to qualify for the state championship. The FIRST Robotics Competition is the premier engineering challenge for high school students. Teams of students, working closely with teachers and volunteer mentors, design, build, program, modify and test a robot to participate in matches that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration and the determination of students.

Robeson Early College High School’s team, RobCoBots, will be among the competitors. Other teams will be traveling from Apex, Asheville, Cary, Charlotte, Erwin, Fuquay Varina, Garner, Goldsboro, Graham, Greensboro, Greenville, Mooresville, Morehead City, Mount Holly, Raleigh, Reidsville, RTP, Sanford, Siler City, Smithfield, Southport, Spring Lake, Swansboro, Williamston and Wilmington.

The high-tech sporting event will produce excitement and energy for participants and spectators as teams compete for honors and recognition that reward design excellence, sportsmanship and teamwork.

The opening ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m. at Jones Health Center on Saturday. The competition will continue through Sunday. Admission is free. For more information about the UNCP event, visit here.