Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino to address students and crowd of over 5000
BOSTON — (BUSINESS WIRE) — March 22, 2010 — The Boston FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Committee today announced that over 1,000 high school students will compete this year in its annual robotics competition, “ Breakaway”.
The competition will be held March 26-27, 2010 at Boston University’s Agganis Arena.
In this year’s game, an alliance of three teams competes against another such alliance on a 27-by-54-foot playing field containing soccer goals and various obstructions. Points are earned for shooting soccer balls into the goals, and bonus points are earned for lifting and holding another robot off the playing surface.
On Saturday, Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino will address the students and crowd and discuss the importance of introducing science and technology to students.
“This is a very exciting year for Boston FIRST,” said Marc Hodosh, Chairman Boston FIRST and President of TEDMED. “This is the fifth year that Boston has hosted the regional competition, and each year we have surpassed our goals and continue to generate record-breaking audience participation. The success of the regional could not be possible without the volunteers who make up the committee.”
Judges for this year’s competition include leading innovators such as Ethernet inventor Bob Metcalfe and iRobot Chairman and CEO Colin Angle. A list of all this year’s judges can be found at the site http://www.bostonfirst.org/event-information-judges.html.
As in previous years, this year’s competition was made possible through generous donations from some of the area’s leading corporations and educational institutions, including Boston University, PTC, P&G Gillette, Google, Analogic Corporation, Textron Systems and MIT Lincoln Laboratory. A complete list of sponsors can be found at the site http://www.bostonfirst.org/event-information-sponsors.html.
As it enters its fifth year, the Boston Regional has become one of the most popular events of its kind by attracting acts such as Blue Man Group and innovators such as Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak. Last year’s competition attracted over 7,000 attendees.
About The Boston First Regional Robotics Committee
The Boston FIRST Robotics Committee was established in 2005 and is run entirely by a team of dedicated volunteers. In just five years, the Boston competition has become one of most popular regional competitions - attracting nearly 7,000 attendees in 2009. In 2008 The Boston FIRST Robotics Committee was a finalist for the Mass Technology Leadership Council’s annual Technology Leadership award. To learn more about Boston FIRST and the Boston Regional Competition, please visit http://www.BostonFIRST.org
About FIRST
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to promote an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, NH, FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs that build self-confidence, knowledge and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology and engineering. With the support of many of the world’s most well-known companies, the non-profit organization hosts the FIRST Robotics Competition for high school students and the FIRST Lego League for children 9-14 years old. To learn more about FIRST, go to http://www.usfirst.org.
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