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Mercersburg to Host RoboCupJunior Americas Super Regional Event in April

Primary, middle, and high school robotics teams from North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean will converge on the campus of Mercersburg Academy April 25-29, 2025, for the inaugural RoboCupJunior Americas SuperRegional event. 

The competition will challenge students up to 19 years old to work collaboratively as a team to design, create, and code robots to solve problems.

Students at various levels of experience can compete on teams where they can use various tools or technologies–from modifying pre-existing robotics kits to building everything from scratch. 

“This will be the platform for primary students to compete beyond local or national events, as primary competitions were removed from the international competition after 2014,” said Associate Head of School for School Life Dr. Julia Stojak Maurer ’90, P ’18, ’20, ’22, ’23, ’28. “Since then, primary competitions have been moved to Super Regional events. However, since there has not been a SuperRegional competition in the Americas, this opportunity has been lacking for our younger students.”

The event will be divided into three competitions–Soccer, Rescue, and OnStage. The robots are fully autonomous, using sensors to explore the world around them and make decisions without human intervention, according to the RoboCupJunior website, www.robocupjunior.us.

The competition will showcase students’ skills, foster international collaboration, and prepare competitors for global competition.

As a newly appointed RoboCup trustee, Maurer is spearheading the effort to bring the competition to Mercersburg. Her proposal to host the event here was unanimously approved by the other trustees. 

“This appointment is something that has been 20 years in the making,” Maurer said of being named a RoboCup trustee, referring to her many years of preparing students for international robotics competitions and being involved in RoboCupJunior since 2006. “I am so, so grateful that Mercersburg has been supportive of my work on this front.”

RoboCupJunior promotes robotics and STEM education through hands-on, engaging team competitions. 

“The existing international, national, and regional events have significantly boosted interest and skills in robotics among young students,” Maurer said, noting that the Americas SuperRegional Event will take this a step further, creating a preparatory platform for teams aspiring to compete at the international level or a space to compete on an advanced level that may be less expensive or less restrictive from a qualifying standpoint.

The United States has hosted national events in RoboCupJunior since the early 2000s.  National events have been hosted at MIT in Boston, Duke University in North Carolina, New York City, and most recently New Jersey. 

In 2007, Georgia Tech hosted the international RoboCup competition. 

“There is a vibrant and active RoboCupJunior community in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. The community is growing, and we are hoping that having a SuperRegional event in the Americas will further encourage that growth,” Maurer said. “The RoboCupJunior Americas Super Regional Event represents a significant step forward in promoting advanced robotics and STEM education throughout the Americas. By providing a larger, more competitive stage, we aim to inspire greater participation in robotics, enhance the skills necessary for students to succeed in international competitions, and build a stronger, more connected robotics community across the continents.”

Founded in 1893 in southern Pennsylvania, Mercersburg Academy provides young people with the opportunity to live and learn in a vibrant and diverse community of boarding and day students from across the country and around the globe. Mercersburg has students from 31 countries and 28 states, plus Washington, D.C.  Over 12,000 living alumni reside in all 50 states and 96 countries.

For more information, go to 2025.robocupamericas.org.