12,000 Students from Around the World to Compete in High-Energy Robotic Matches During Annual FIRST® Championship in St. Louis, Mo.
FIRST Celebrates Its 25th Year of Inspiring Young People to Become Leaders in Science and Technology
(BUSINESS WIRE) — April 21, 2014 — FIRST®:
WHO
- Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) to inspire young people’s interest in science and technology
- 12,000 students from 38 countries will celebrate innovation and compete with their custom-built robots
- Special guests: a musical guest to deliver a surprise not to be missed; Dr. John Grunsfeld, Associate Administrator for Science, NASA; among others
- Expected attendance: 30,000 friends, parents, Mentors, Coaches, Volunteers, Sponsors, and general public
WHAT
- FIRST Championship is the culmination of student teams who participated in regional FIRST competitions held across the U.S. and around the world, beginning last fall
- During spirited, high-intensity matches, students put their custom-built robots to the test with the help of Mentors and professional engineers
- The final high-energy round of robotic showdowns happens on Saturday afternoon, April 26
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FIRST Championship offers three levels of competition and one
student exhibition for students ages 6-18:
- Junior FIRST® LEGO® League (Jr.FLL®) World Festival Expo (ages 6-9);
- FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL®) World Festival (ages 9-14; 9-16 outside the U.S., Canada, and Mexico);
- FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC®) World Championship (ages 12-18); and
- FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC®) Championship (ages 14-18).
PHOTO OPS:
- Students dressed in spirited, colorful team uniforms, tinkering with robots that they built; competing in riveting fast-paced matches.
- Students ages 6-14 working together and sharing innovative solutions for handling natural disasters and other weather-related, real-world problems.
- Lynn Tilton, CEO of Jane Cosmetics, and celebrity hair stylist Ken Paves empowering female students to feel confident and courageous.
- America Makes 3D Printing Playground will provide kids of all ages with a hands-on opportunity to experience 3D printing: custom cookie cutters, wind turbine design, personalized gear sculpture, and glow-in-the-dark jewelry!
- Innovation Zone: Join United States Patent and Trademark office experts in an activity called “Race to the Patent.”
STORY LEADS INCLUDE:
- Encouraging increased female interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) – FIRST is engaging more all-female teams in a field typically dominated by men;
- STEM workforce development – More than 200 of the Fortune 500 companies rely on FIRST to fuel the workforce pipeline with future innovative problem solvers;
- Creating the next generation of innovators – FIRST participants tackle real-world problems, and take on engineering challenges under strict guidelines and hard deadlines – with no instructions. On their own, with guidance from adult Mentors, FIRST students come up with innovative solutions and learn that failure is part of the learning process.
