In 2012, The Huntsville-based Pathfinder Chapter of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) provided $97,415 in support of robotics education. This support consists of grants; funding for competition expenses and awards; scholarships; and funding to education organizations to support robotics competitions. In just the last four years, the AUVSI Pathfinder Chapter has awarded $363,665 in education grants to area schools and robotics education organizations.
The Huntsville based Pathfinder Chapter of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) presented educational grants totaling $81,415 to 53 area schools. Additionally, a $6,000 grant was presented to SciQuest – for supporting underserved populations and at-risk youth robotics programs; a $5,000 grant was presented to the Alabama Council for Technology in Education (ACTE); a $5,000 grant to the Alabama First Lego League Championship.
The total amount awarded in education grants by the Pathfinder Chapter for 2012 is 97,415. The Chapter awarded $118,100 for robotics education in 2011. In 2010, grants totaling $89,000 were awarded to area schools and education organizations, and in 2009, grants totaling $59,150 were awarded by the Pathfinder Chapter.
The grants were presented by the Pathfinder Education Committee in ceremonies held on 2 October 2012 at the Huntsville Public Library auditorium. The grants ranged in size from $200 to $3,000 to support robotics technology education.
This marks the 22nd consecutive year that the Pathfinder Chapter has provided educational grants to the local community. Each year, schools throughout North Alabama and South Central Tennessee are invited to submit requests for funding support by the association. Winners include schools from Huntsville, Madison, and Arab, Athens, Decatur, and Priceville, Alabama, and Fayetteville, Tennessee. Schools use the funds to purchase robot kits, computers and other items to support robotics education and to participate in robotics competitions. Many Schools have competed in the FIRST competitions over the past many years and have said that they could not afford to compete without the Pathfinder Chapter’s financial support. These grants support more than 5,000 students in robotics and technology education programs.
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Contact: Joe Fitzgerald
Chairman, Education Committee
Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International – Pathfinder Chapter
Cell: (256) 797-6012

As the current chapter president, I was honored and pleased to accept AUVSI’s first-ever Chapter of the Year Award during the general session at Unmanned Systems North America in Washington, D.C. on 17 August 2011. The chapter’s membership growth, its symposium growth, and its benevolent involvement and support for education were among reasons for recognition. Thank each of you for being a member and for your support. Special thanks to Andy Ramsey who was President for two-thirds of the year covered by the award, and to the officers, board members, and cadre that have worked (pro bono) so diligently over the past year.