March 19, 2025
Ferris State is hosting more than 750 high school students in FIRST Robotics event, building interest in science and technology
Ferris State University’s Ewigleben Sports Complex will be filled with the energy of more than 750 high school students comprising 40 teams participating in a FIRST Robotics in Michigan district competition on the Big Rapids campus.
Ferris State is hosting a FIRST Robotics competition March 27-29 on the Big Rapids campus. This image is from a previous FIRST Robotics competition. (Photo courtesy of FIRST Robotics)
FIRST - For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology – is a robotics competition where teams of students, coaches, and mentors work together to design, build, and program robots to compete in challenging games.
The goal is to provide young people opportunities to develop skills in STEM subjects, teamwork, and problem-solving while fostering a love for science and technology.
The competition takes place March 27 to 29, with March 27 as the setup day for inspections as pits open for competitors and teams before the district competition begins on Friday, March 28, and runs through Saturday, March 29, in the Ewigleben Sports Complex, 210 Sports Drive in Big Rapids.
Nate Leatherman, a Ferris State professor of Manufacturing Engineering Technology in the School of Design and Manufacturing, is also the FIRST Robotics program advisor. That group will help run the competition.
“Having the opportunity to bring more than 750 high school students from across the state to campus for two and a half days, you’re excited because it gives these students an opportunity to compete and to see what Ferris State University has to offer them,” Leatherman said. “We’re excited to provide spaces for this competition and to show what we have regarding academic programs and what the university has to benefit students.”
Friday begins as pits open at 8 a.m., followed by opening ceremonies at 10:30 a.m. Next is an opening round of qualification matches from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., lunch and a second round of qualification matches from 2 to 7 p.m.
Saturday, day two, sees the pits open at 8 a.m. Opening ceremonies occur at 9 a.m., followed by qualification matches from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Alliance selections occur at 12:30 p.m., followed by lunch. Playoff matches take place from 2 to 5 p.m., followed by an awards ceremony from 5 to 6:30 p.m. before pits close at 6:30 p.m. to close the competition.
Each district sends a representative number of teams to the FIRST Championship.
The FIRST Robotics event at Ferris State features 40 teams from across Michigan, but mainly from West Michigan and the Grand Rapids area, the Big Rapids area, Cadillac, Traverse City and the Upper Peninsula.
“We’re going to not only be welcoming 750 kids to our campus but also to our community,” said Leatherman, who noted that an overwhelming number of the high school students participating in these competitions will be enrolling in college. “It’s a great opportunity to see what we have here in our community.”
Teams will use Bulldog Arena, home to the Ferris State volleyball team, for setup, while Wink Arena, home to the Ferris State men’s and women’s basketball teams, will serve as the competition space. In some spaces, such as Bulldog Arena, visitors may be required to wear safety glasses.
A webcast of the event is expected to be available via Twitch.
The FIRST in Michigan State Championship will be held in the University Center at Saginaw Valley State University, Thursday, April 3 through Saturday, April 5.