The annual New England Regional Botball Competition Botfest Robotics Exhibition will take place at UMass Lowell, Costello Gym, on Saturday, April 10. The event is free and open to the public. Botball is an all day event, and Botfest will run 11am-1:30pm. Information and directions can be found at: www.botfest.org. There will also be a fund raising food and snack drive, for exhibitors convenience.

Botball is a team-oriented robotics competition engaging middle and high school students. This year, the students designed and programmed an autonomous robot to clean up an oil spill. Botball has 19 teams registered for the New England Regional Tournament:

• Andover Robotics Club, Andover, MA,
• Ashland High School, Ashland, MA,
• CHS Robotics Team, Chelmsford, MA,
• Garfield Middle School, Revere, MA,
• Greater Lowell Technical High School, Tyngsboro, MA,
• Guilmette Middle School, Lawrence, MA,
• Haverhill Robotics, Haverhill, MA,
• Innovation Academy, Tyngsboro, MA,
• Littleton Middle School, Littleton, MA,
• Malden Catholic High School, Malden, MA,
• Merrimack Valley Home Schoolers, Billerica, MA,
• Nashoba Valley Technical High School, Westford, MA,
• Needham High School, Needham, MA,
• Phillips Academy, Andover, MA,
• Roxbury Latin School, West Roxbury, MA,
• Sanborn Regional High School, Kingston, NH,
• WB Rogers Middle School, Hyde Park, MA,
• Wellesley High School, Wellesley, MA, and
• West Middle School, Andover, MA.

Botfest is a non-competitive exhibition in which robotics enthusiasts of all ages can show off their creations. This year, Botfest has over ten teams, including:

• Friends of Grace, Coop, Chelmsford, MA,
• Hanf Homeschool, MA,
• Hanover Middle School, Hanover, MA,
• Innovation Academy, Worcester, MA,
• Silver Hill Horace Mann Charter School, Haverhill, MA,
• St. Roberts, Andover, MA,
• Stoklosa Middle School, Lowell, MA,
• Sullivan Middle School, Lowell, MA,
• Sullivan Middle School, Worcester, MA, and
• Wetherbee Middle School, Lawrence, MA.