During the Winter 2026 semester, the Padnos College of Engineering constructed a full-size FIRST Robotics practice field in the Shape Corp. Innovation Design Center. From February to mid-April, robotics teams gathered at the field to prepare for competitions. This year, 22 teams used the practice field and 22% of these teams qualified for the FIRST in Michigan State Championship!

Constructing a practice field is just one way that PCE supports FIRST Robotics. PCE also hosts kickoff events, a rookie camp, a Robot-in-3 Days (Ri3D) event for college alumni teams, and the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) West Michigan District Event in the Fieldhouse on Valley Campus. PCE also awards the First Robotics Engineering scholarship for first-year engineering majors who participated in robotics during high school.