Columbia Educational Robotics Foundation (CERF)

All funds raised through CoMoGives 2025 will be used to support Columbia's  Youth Robotics Center.  
In early 2025 we opened a community youth robotics center in suite 122 of Parkade Plaza with the goal of providing a shared workspace with high tech tools and materials for local robotics teams to use year-round.  Thanks to donors, we were able to buy tool storage, 3D printers and fabrication tools for the FTC and FRC teams, and LEGO robotics kits for FLL teams.  

In August, we hosted a grand opening celebrating our community partnerships and with CPS, MU and MACC.

Aug. 12, 2025 -- Dr. Mun Choi, University of Missouri President and Chancellor, addresses the audience at the CERF youth robotics center ribbon cutting.Army Ants FRC team 3792 cuts the the ribbon with the support of Dr. Jeff Klein, CPS Superintendent.

This fall, four high school FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) teams, one FIRST Robotics Competition(FRC) team and one FIRST LEGO League (FLL) team are using the space to prepare for competitions. It's a hive of activity almost every night of the week.  

Last spring, the FRC team, Army Ants, earned the Chairman's Award at a tournament in Minnesota, which qualified the team to participate in the FIRST World Championship competition in Houston Texas in April.  They finished 26th out of 600 teams from around the world.

We still have a lot to do! In the next 6 months, we have plans to purchase a CNC milling station with dust collection so all the high school teams can custom fabricate their robot chassis plates.  We also plan to build a CAD station with fold-up desks and part storage cabinets for each team. 

Columbia Educational Robotics Foundation (CERF) is the local booster organization for K-12 FIRST® competitive robotics programs. Our mission is to support mentor-based youth robotics programs that inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and that foster well-rounded life capabilities, including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.

Our new youth robotics center provides a dedicated workspace for all of Columbia's high school FIRST teams. No Columbia high schools provide dedicated shop space for competitive robotics teams. This space gives them a place to hold meetings, build and test robots, and collaborate with peers. 

For younger students, we offer meeting space for FIRST® LEGO League teams, grades 2 - 8, and workshops and camps when school is out.

Educational robotics is high-impact, high-engagement, hands-on learning that prepares students for STEM careers. High-tech learning requires high tech tools and equipment. It's expensive. A LEGO Education robotics kit is a small, powerful computer wrapped in a familiar building system. It's not a toy; it's a top-of-the-line learning tool for future engineers. The high school robotics program uses real world industrial materials, parts, and fabrication tools. 

Competitive robotics is "Sport for the Mind." Through failure, iteration, success, and celebration, we use robots to build amazing young problem solvers. Please donate to help us create future leaders.

Find out more about CERF at www.columbiarobotics.org