Avnet recently awarded grants to the Arizona Interscholastic Association in support of its high school robotics championship next spring.
The event is a VEX robotics competition for 600 students from across the state of Arizona. This will be Avnet’s third year supporting the competition, all part of the company’s emphasis on STEM education and building the workforce of the future.
In addition to the VEX competition, Avnet has long supported the AZ FIRST Robotics competition, which also takes place in the spring.
In the FIRST Robotics competition, high school teams build large robots to compete in a challenging game with other teams. They also raise funds, create a team brand and promote STEM in their community, all under tight rules with limited time and resources.
Avnet supplier partner Microchip organizes and runs the contest with community support.
Evan Tsoukalas, Avnet senior director of program operations, attended last year’s FIRST Robotics competition and had this to say: “These students are so impressive. They are engaged in all aspects of the competition, from coding to marketing. It is so inspiring to see this next generation of STEM innovators in action.”
STEM education is an important focus area for Avnet Cares, Avnet’s philanthropic program.
