The Department of Computer Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering at Shepherd University will host the 2011 ShepRobo Fest robotics competition March 26 and 27 at the Butcher Center.

Seung-yun Kim, assistant professor of computer and information sciences, said that part of the funding for the competition came from an Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research grant recently received to promote the department.

So far, 250 participants and spectators have registered for the event, according to Kim, and he expects the number to reach 300 or 400.

The competition will include three events for various age groups. The first event, the Firefighting Robot Contest, will be held for middle school through college-aged students. Event two, the Mech-Warfare Contest, is open to participants of all ages, and event three, the Lego League, will be held for students in grades 4 through 8.

Shepherd’s Department of Contemporary Art and Theater will create a 16×16 arena for the Mech-Warfare competition, partnering with Patrick Wallace, theater technical director.

This nationwide competition is the only competition with this diversity on the east coast, according to Kim.

Check-in begins at 9 a.m. March 26 and the competition will begin at 1 p.m. The competition will continue March 27 for the second round of the firefighting contest at 9:30 a.m.

Registration is free and open to all. Participants are encouraged to register early due to limited teams and seats available. Interested participants may also register the day of the event. A registration form is available at www.shepherd.edu/cmeweb/srf. Contact Dr. Kim at skim@shepherd.edu or 304-876-5017 for more information.