The Eighth Annual Avnet Tech Games takes place on Saturday, April 13th from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the University of Advancing Technology in Tempe.
At this year’s Tech Games, more than 185 students from Arizona’s community colleges and universities will compete for scholarship money and tackle projects faced by employees from other leading technology companies.
At the Avnet Tech Games, students work in a game-like setting to gain hands-on, practical experience in addition to the academic instruction. The competition will feature multidisciplinary technology competitions that require students to test their knowledge, creativity, decision-making, problem-solving and technical skills.
The competitions include: build the fastest computer, developing an application using Java 7 Standard Edition, creating and documenting a FPGA design that works on a provided circuit board, building a robot to maneuver and tow objects through different courses, and designing and building the best overall solar-powered water pumping system.
The Avnet Tech Games also include virtual contests for college students to compete nationally with contests such as: develop an Android™ App using MIT Android™ App Inventor technology, and a “Green Video Competition” in which competitors combine their video production skills and environmental awareness will create short videos on environmental initiatives at their college.
Avnet’s goal is to create a more qualified workforce for the technology industry by teaching students how to use concepts they’ve learned in school and apply them to real world situations.
“We want to expose the students to problems they’ll be facing when they continue on into their careers, and teach them to really push the envelope,” Avnet Vice President of Community Relations and Public Affairs Teri Radosevich said.
The Avnet Tech Games is a collaborative effort by Arizona educators and technology companies to help the state’s community college and university students acquire valuable skills needed to thrive in the modern workplace.
“Not only do the competitors have the opportunity to use what they’ve learned in school, but it gives them the opportunity to network with their potential future employers,” Radosevich said.
The games started as a means to give recognition to technology students at the community college level, and soon Arizona universities wanted to participate.
Radosevich said the community colleges have no problem competing with the bigger schools, and every year the winners are equally distributed between both types of colleges.
“Working for the Avnet Tech Games is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done,” Radosevich said, “when the students walk up to me to tell me how much we’ve taught them, it gives me goose bumps.”
Learn more about the Avnet Games by visiting: www.avnettechgames.com
Follow the events live on Twitter at #ATG2013
Located at: University of Advancing Technology
2625 W. Baseline Rd. (between 48th St. and I-10)
Tempe, Ariz. 85283-1056
Photography provided by Avnet Tech Games
