Idaho TECH Cost and Registration
Anticipated Cost of Participating in the Idaho TECH Mars Rover Challenge:
- Registration Fee: $15 for the first team, $5 for each additional team
(registration fee is not due until registration closes) - Poster Budget: No more than $30
- Mars Rover Budget: No more than $50
- Travel: Varies; consider transportation costs, hotels, meals, etc.
- Return LEGO Kits (Required): Cost to return LEGO Kits to Idaho State University for inventory
- Optional: Materials for activities, team t-shirts, etc.
Idaho TECH Mars Rover Challenge Cost Details
Registration Fee – Thanks to sponsorship from the NASA Idaho Space Grant Consortium, we are able to keep the registration fee low. $15 for the first team, and $5 for each additional team. This fee goes toward the Idaho TECH Engineering Design Competitions.
Poster Budget – Posters also have a maximum $30 budget that is SEPARATE from your $50 LEGO budget. This means that the cost of constructing your poster display CANNOT EXCEED $30. The cost of the poster supplies is the responsibility of the team and supporting school district.
Mars Rover Budget – Each team has a $50 budget, which may be used to buy more LEGO parts for their rover. This $50 is either actual or in-kind, based on your team’s accessibility to LEGO parts. Shipping and the batteries required to operate the battery box are NOT considered a factor in your $50 budget. The cost of the LEGOs, if ordered, is the responsibility of the team. You CANNOT use more than $50 worth of extra LEGO parts on your rover, EVEN IF your school has access to additional parts or is willing to purchase more than $50. Any team that violates this regulation is automatically disqualified from the competition.
Travel – Travel to and from the competition is based on the school, so plan accordingly. There are no additional fees while at the competition. Lunch will not be provided, but a list of places near the competition site will be distributed before the competition.
Return LEGO Kits – ISGC covers the cost of shipping the LEGO kits to the schools, and it is the school’s responsibility to ship the kits back after the Engineering Design Competition. Failure to return kits may result in teams being barred from future competitions.
Optional – Many teams decide to make their own team t-shirts, or to wear school t-shirts. Some of the activities included in the Activity Book require materials, which you may have on hand or need to purchase. You do not need to complete all of the activities in the Activity Book to be successful in the program.