Columbia Engineering to Host Robotics Mayor’s Cup

On Saturday, May 10, 2025, 30 high school robotics teams from across New York City will come to Columbia’s Morningside campus to compete in the Mayor’s Cup FIRST Tech Challenge for Robot Games.

Presented by NYC FIRST, Columbia Engineering, and the Mayor’s Office of Sports, Wellness, and Recreation, the event will showcase robots designed by student teams competing in the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC)—a national program that encourages innovation, teamwork, and creative problem-solving through STEM.

Held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Alfred Lerner Hall at Columbia, the event will culminate in a Closing Ceremony at 4:30 p.m. All Columbia students, affiliates, and the general public are invited to the event and must register to attend.

Throughout the day, Columbia Engineering faculty will present demos on their cutting-edge research in robotics: 

• Robots of the Future - Prof. Matei Ciocarlie
• Robotics for rehabilitation from the ROAR Lab - Prof. Sunil Agrawal
• Teaching Robots to Learn - Prof. Yunzhu Li

Representatives from some of Columbia’s most popular student groups–including Columbia Space Initiative, Biomedical Engineering Society, and Formula Racing–will also be staffing tables at Lerner Hall to share their exciting student activities. Guests can also participate in scheduled tours of the Mechanical Engineering Lab and the Columbia Makerspace. 

“We are proud to be partnering with the Mayor’s Office and NYC FIRST to host this exciting competition,” said Shih-Fu Chang, Dean of Columbia Engineering. “We are getting a first-hand look at how robotics and STEM are inspiring the next generation of engineers and designers.”

The Robotics Mayor’s Cup is one of the many efforts directed at STEM learning supported by Columbia Engineering. The School’s Office of Outreach offers numerous resources, including programs for K-12 students and teachers. The pre-college program SHAPE (Summer High School Academic Program for Engineers) offers college-level courses taught by Columbia faculty in engineering to rising sophomores, juniors, seniors, and recent high-school graduates. More than 11,000 students from over 235 New York City schools have participated in the School’s outreach programs.