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MCALLEN, Texas - The FIRST Robotics Competition season kicked off recently in the Rio Grande Valley at the McAllen Elks Lodge.

The theme this year is “Charged Up” and focuses on the energy sector.

The robots the students build are about 130 pounds and can stand up to six feet tall. The students are usually from grades nine through 12.

“We've got about 16 teams here in the Rio Grande Valley from Laredo all the way to Brownsville and we're really excited about that,” said Jason Arms, executive director of FIRST in Texas.

Here is a podcast with Jason Arms about the competition and the role FIRST plays in developing students for the STEM fields.

Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.