Booz Allen Engineers Showcase Virtual Reality Technology at Huntsville FIRST® Robotics Competition

At this weekend’s Rocket City Regional FIRST® Robotics Competition, teams of dedicated high school students will showcase their hard work after an intense six weeks spent designing and building an original robot. Alongside these up-and-coming STEM professionals will be several more seasoned engineers who are representing strategy, technology and engineering company Booz Allen Hamilton, a sponsor of the event. 

The Booz Allen team, many of whom have a long history of involvement with FIRST, are at the Rocket City Regional to show off their own cool inventions with a virtual reality technology demonstration. Senior Associate Matt Meko said of the product the firm will be showcasing, “To get FIRST participants excited about how they can turn the work they are doing today into STEM careers, we are demonstrating a Virtual Unmanned Aerial Vehicle that we built.  This demonstration ties together our passion for robotics and virtual work into a simulation that FIRST attendees can actually (virtually) fly.”

Meko added, “Booz Allen is a top employer for STEM professionals. So for us, the commitment to help build a pipeline of future engineers is very personal. We want to make sure there is a steady stream of talented, diverse STEM leaders to help us face the challenges of the future. It’s rewarding to show these talented kids some of the exciting work they can be a part of if they continue to pursue a career in the STEM field.”

Booz Allen Hamilton is a sponsor of this year’s Rocket City Regional, the first time a FIRST Robotics Competition has been hosted in Alabama. The event will be held March 23-26 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, and is free to attend and open to the public.

Many Booz Allen employees donate their free time in support of a broad range of STEM programs and mentorships like FIRST. During the 2015-16 FIRST season, employees mentored 72 FIRST teams (approximately 1,600 youth) across the US. Earlier this year, the firm joined the ranks as a designated FIRST® Strategic Partner—one of only 18 organizations to achieve such recognition. 

Read more about FIRST.

Read more about Booz Allen Hamilton’s commitment to STEM.

Attend the Rocket City Regional.