COEUR d'ALENE - NASA has awarded a $6,500 grant to the Coeur d'Alene High School TeraViks rookie robotics team.

The grant will be applied toward the cost of the regional competition in Portland, Ore., on March 4-6, and the kit of parts required for this year's challenge. The team is also sponsored in part by North Idaho Discovery Association, who contributes not only funds to help offset the $15,000 budget, but also a facility to host a full size arena for teams to practice on.

The TeraViks team, comprised of 17 high school students and six adult mentors donating their time, will be competing in the FIRST Robotics Challenge, founded by inventor Dean Kamen.

The team will have six weeks to design, build, and test a robot to compete in this year's Breakaway challenge.

"While this schedule is fast paced and sometimes stressful, it simulates real world situations. Strong emphasis is placed on gracious professionalism and extending what the students learn in the classroom to hands-on applications," said Brian Induni, coach of the TeraViks team and Executive Director of Business and Marketing for NIDA.

The team plans to have a working prototype by Saturday, and be finished by the shipping date deadline of Feb. 23.

Information: http://www.nidarobotics.org