OKLHAOMA CITY -- The KISS Institute for Practical Robotics will host Oklahoma's Ninth Annual Botball Educational Robotics Competition. The Botball Educational Robotics Program engages middle and high school aged students in a team-oriented robotics competition based on the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) educational principals.

The 2009 season marks the largest Oklahoma Regional Botball Robotics Tournament to date hosting 40 teams. Teams from Moore and Norman will join students from North Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico and more than two dozen other Oklahoma teams will be competing on Feb. 28 at the Science Museum Oklahoma.

Students from Norman's Alcott Middle School, Dimensions Academy High School, Irving Middle School, Longfellow Middle School, Norman High School and Whittier Middle School will join students from Moore West Junior High and Westmoore High School in the event. Officials said registration is still open for the event.

The tournament is free and open to the public. Seeding begins at 10 a.m. and double elimination rounds will begin at approximately 2 p.m.

Botball teams are made up of no more than 20 middle and high school students, who learn how to design, create and program two autonomous -- that is, no remote control -- robots to complete this year's game challenge based on the theme of "Alternative Energy."

Team leaders and student participants began their 2009 season at the Botball Educator's Professional Development Workshop Wednesday and Thursday at the University of Oklahoma. During this two-day professional development workshop, teams received their reusable robotics kit. Each kit will be used for competition and can be integrated into the classroom. This ensures that schools will be able to continue to grow their science, math and technology curricula through robotics after the Botball season is over.

The KISS Institute for Practical Robotics, an Oklahoma based non-profit organization, will present 14 Botball Workshops and Tournaments this year -- twelve in the United States and two based internationally. All teams who participate in their regional workshop and tournament are eligible to participate in the International Botball Tournament taking place this summer in Leesburg, Va., during the Global Conference on Educational Robotics on July 1-5.

Many Oklahoma Botball teams have received scholarships provided by generous local partners, such as: University of Oklahoma, Hille Foundation, Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, Chesapeake Energy Corporation, Oklahoma EPSCoR, BancFirst, Kirkpatrick Family Foundation, University of Oklahoma College of Engineering, Tinker Federal Credit Union, Milstein Family Foundation, Leader Communications Incorporated and Arvest Bank.

For more information about Botball in Oklahoma, go to www.botball. org/oklahoma or e-mail info@kipr.org.