More than 1,000 students from 15 states, Mexico and Brazil will compete in Alabama’s annual FIRST Robotics Competition this weekend in downtown Huntsville, and the competition is free and open to the public.

FIRST Robotics is a global competition where high school students in grades 9-12 must raise funds, design a team brand, develop teamwork skills and build and program robots.

Students competing at the Von Braun Center must build and program industrial-sized robots to compete with other teams in what NASA calls a “difficult field game” called CHARGED UP. They also design a team brand. Top performers have a chance to qualify for the championship in Houston in late April.

NASA provides grants for the teams and support for the competition. The space agency’s goal is easing what it calls “the critical national shortage of students pursuing STEM careers. STEM stands for “science, technology, engineering and math.”

Opening ceremonies begin at 8:30 a.m. CDT on Friday and Saturday only with qualification matches under way at 9 a.m. The Friday awards ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. and the Saturday awards ceremony will begin at 2:30 p.m.