Tampa Bay FIRST Benefit Showcase Brings Teams & Business Community Together

Posted on February 5, 2013 by tmw2010

final programThe first ever Tampa Bay FIRST  Benefit Showcase event, sponsored by USF Connect and the Florida High Tech Corridor and held February 3rd at the University of South Florida, brought area teams and members of the Tampa Bay business and technical community together to raise awareness about the academic and career readiness value of FIRST, and to build support for the Orlando Regional FIRST Robotics Competition event.

FIRST founder Dean Kamen recorded a special message, just for our event, and FIRST alumni Barry Bohnsack, now with Lockheed Martin and an FIRST in Tampa Bay-cactive FIRST volunteer, provided the keynote address, giving a powerful overview of FIRST and its proven relationship to academic achievement and workforce readiness.  FIRST alumni Jessie Poen, a Dean’s List winner and FIRST Ambassador at both the Orlando Regional and the South Florida Regional, shared her experience, which included earning six community scholarships based on her FIRST involvement and a spot in the USF Honors College.  And special guest Patricia Gehant, Director of Workforce Initiative with the Tampa Bay Technology Forum and the value of FIRST to help close the technology gap for students and satisfy workforce needs for Tampa Bay.

Area teams from Academy at the Lakes in Land O’Lakes, who brought their FLL & FRC Wired Wildcats teams, Middleton High School’s Minotaur FRC team and Palm Harbor University High School’s FTC team, Pandara did a fantastic job showcasing their work for event attendees.  Showcase attendees were even treated to a great research presentation by the Wired Wildcats FLL team, that pretty much stole the show!

Showcase guestsWe’re deeply grateful to the  business leaders and organizations that showed up on Super Bowl Sunday to celebrate a different kind of Army ROTC-c hero – youth and their mentors who are transforming our culture by creating the science and technology leaders we need in the world.  In addition to representatives from USF Connect and the Tampa Bay Technology Forum, we were happy to  welcome business leaders from the Southeast Capital Equity Group,  the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, Basler Electric,   2Z Consulting Inc. and Bar Camp Tampa Bay, among others.

alumn-c

FIRST Alumni members Andrew Schreiber, Victoria Burg, Barry Bohnsack and Jessie Poen.

The involvement of Florida FIRST Alumni was an especially powerful part of the program, giving guests an opportunity to meet and hear firsthand the personal experiences of former FIRST students and how FIRST paved the way for academic and career opportunities for them.

Thank you to all who made the Tampa Bay FIRST Benefit Showcase possible, and so enjoyable!

learning from alumni-c

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FLL Update: Global Innovation Kick Off, New LEGO Platform – EV3 and more!

Posted on January 11, 2013 by tmw2010

Print–>Global Innovation Kick Off
We are days away from launching the 3rd season of the FIRST® LEGO® League Global Innovation Award! The website (http://fllinnovation.firstlegoleague.org/) will open for team submissions for the SENIOR SOLUTIONS℠ season on Thursday, January 17th at 12:00pm ET. Voting will begin on Monday, February 11th at 12:00pm ET. Voting and submissions will end on Friday, March 1st.

Watch this inspring video to learn more about the award: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mEdzXVLk9TU

–>LEGO Group Announces New Robotics Platform – EV3

Based on feedback from more than 800 educators worldwide, the LEGO Group announces the next generation of robotics – the EV3. The EV3 solutions will offer new and improved hardware and software. For more details and FLL related questions and answers check out the Q&A on the FIRST LEGO League website:http://firstlegoleague.org/productEV3

–>Thanks for Voting!

Thanks to our amazing community for voting for the Dean Kamen/Paul Lazurus video, “SLINGSHOT”, as an audience favorite in the FOCUS FORWARD Filmmaker Competition. View the top 10 here:http://vimeo.com/album/2184435

*THIS EMAIL IS FROM FIRST HEADQUARTERS. BE SURE TO WATCH FOR EMAILS FROM YOUR LOCAL PARTNER.*

With High 5’s and Admiration,
FLL Team Support

Stay Connected with FLL!
Twitter (@firstlegoleague)| YouTube (youtube.com/fllglobal)|FLL Blog (fllblog.wordpress.com)
FIRST(R) LEGO(R) League (http://firstlegoleague.org) | fllteams@usfirst.org | +1 603-666-3906 x0, +1 800-871-8326 x0 | FIRST(R) (http://usfirst.org) - 200 Bedford Street – Manchester NH USA 03101

 

 

 

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FIRST ® Tech Challenge Announces Three-Year Sponsorship From Alcoa

Posted on May 24, 2012 by tmw2010

Alcoa Foundation to support the domestic and global growth of FIRST Tech Challenge robotics teams with a $250,000 grant

MANCHESTER, N.H.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–FIRST ® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a nonprofit organization that inspires young people’s interest and participation in science and technology, announced today that Alcoa Foundation awarded FIRST ® Tech Challenge (FTC®) a $250,000 grant to promote national and international team growth over a three-year period. FTC is one of four robotics competitions in the FIRST K-12 family of programs.

The three-year commitment will promote progressive FTC team growth by providing new and existing teams with registration grants in the U.S. and abroad, as well as producing FTC program banners and a promotional video for use in recruiting students to FTC. Through May 2013, Alcoa Foundation will fund 35 teams, as well as providing tournament and event support. Alcoa employees from Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Mexico, The Netherlands, Russia, South Korea, and the United States will be involved in the program.

“Technology shifts and increasing investments in advanced manufacturing are creating a great demand for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)-capable students worldwide,” said Paula Davis, President, Alcoa Foundation. “A new workforce of problem-solvers, innovators and inventors, who are self-reliant and able to think logically, is one of the critical drivers of any economy’s innovation capacity and competitiveness. Together with FIRST, we aim to inspire the next generation of leaders in manufacturing and engineering.

“Alcoa places high value on organizations that produce measurable, long-term results with a demonstrated track record of success,” said Dean Kamen, FIRST founder and president of DEKA Research & Development Corp. “We’re pleased that Alcoa is recognizing FIRST Tech Challenge, not only for its rapid growth here and abroad, but also for its positive impact on technology workforce development and its power to build self-confidence and instill a passion for STEM.”

As part of the competition, FTC teams of up to 10 students are responsible for designing, building, and programming their robots to compete in an Alliance format against other teams. Teams, including Coaches, Mentors, and Volunteers, are required to develop strategy and build robots based on sound engineering principles.

Subsequent years of the grant include continued registration fees to build national and international teams, multiple language versions of promotional materials showcasing the current need for STEM education, and the extension of grants to Foundation-funded FIRST international teams.

“We’re proud that Alcoa Foundation is supporting the growth of FTC,” said Ken Johnson, Director of FIRST Tech Challenge. “The Foundation’s financial support will allow our student teams to focus on honing their skills in Science and Technology. We welcome the opportunity for FIRST students to work with the professionals at Alcoa who will help to promote FTC excellence and core values to our young people worldwide.”

About Alcoa Foundation

Alcoa Foundation is one of the largest corporate foundations in the U.S., with assets of approximately US$446 million. Founded more than 50 years ago, Alcoa Foundation has invested more than US$550 million since 1952. In 2011, Alcoa Foundation contributed more than US$20 million to nonprofit organizations throughout the world, building innovative partnerships, engaging its people to improve the environment and educating tomorrow’s leaders. The work of Alcoa Foundation is further enhanced by Alcoa’s thousands of employee volunteers who share their energy, passion and purpose to make a difference in the communities where Alcoa operates. Through the company’s signature Month of Service program, in 2011, a record 56 percent of Alcoa employees took part in more than 1,200 events across 24 countries, reaching 81,000 children, serving 9,000 meals, planting 34,000 trees and supporting 1,800 nonprofit organizations. More information can be found at www.alcoafoundation.com.

About FIRST®

Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from three out of every five Fortune 500 companies and nearly $15 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC® ) andFIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC®) for high-school students, FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL®) for 9 to 14-year-olds, (9 to 16-year-olds outside the U.S., Canada, and Mexico) and Junior FIRST® LEGO® League(Jr.FLL®) for 6 to 9-year-olds. Gracious Professionalism® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org.

FIRST®, the FIRST® logo, FIRST® Robotics Competition, FRC®, FIRST® Tech Challenge, FTC®, and Gracious Professionalism® are registered trademarks of the United States Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST®). LEGO® is a registered trademark of The LEGO Group. FIRST® LEGO® League, FLL®, Junior FIRST® LEGO® League, and Jr.FLL® are jointly held trademarks ofFIRST and The LEGO Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

©2012 FIRST. All rights reserved.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50289973&lang=en

Contacts

FIRST ®
Dennis Garrigan, 603-206-2454
dgarrigan@usfirst.org
or
Alcoa Foundation
Suzanne van de Raadt, 212-836-2662
Suzanne.vanderaadt@alcoa.com

 

 

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2011-12 FIRST Championship in Photos!

Posted on May 3, 2012 by tmw2010

There was Will.I.Am and Dean Kamen and Dr. Woody Flowers and Kareem Abdul Jabbar! There were epic battles and tornadoes!  It was a FIRST Championship like no other, and the biggest storm was Florida! Enjoy this photographic look at the FIRST Championship!  Congratulations to all the great teams who participated in the event, and a huge thank you to everyone who made it possible, from FIRST and event staff to the hundreds of volunteers who handled everything from inspection to judging to field operations!   You’re FIRST in our hearts!  Can’t wait to do it all over again!

Filed under: FIRST Championship, FIRST events, FIRST in Florida, FIRST in the News, FRC, FTC | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Rebound Rumble Revealed to 60,000 High-School Students at 2012 FRC Kick-Off!

Posted on January 7, 2012 by tmw2010

FRC Teams listen to Dean Kamen Live at Devry University Kick-Off in Orlando

Inventor Dean Kamen was joined by former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, will.i.am, frontman of The Black Eyed Peas, and a host of other celebrities via video to launch the 21st  FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) season today with the Kickoff of a new robotics game called “Rebound RumbleSM.” Before a crowd of 800 people at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, N.H., the hometown and headquarters of FIRST, an estimated 60,000 around the world joined the Kickoff via live NASA-TV broadcast and webcast.

Over a hundred students from more than 40 teams across central and north Florida attended a regional Kick-Off at Devry University in Orlando, and other Florida teams attended kick off events in Melbourne and Coconut Creek, as well as informal events in schools and homes around the state.

The Kick-Off announced the 2012 “Rebound Rumble” STEM competition, for which students have just six weeks to build a robot that can score basketballs into hoops during a two-minute and 15-second match. Balls scored in higher hoops score teams more points, and team alliances are awarded bonus points if they are balanced on bridges at the end of the match.

Sponsored by NASA and Needham, Mass.-based PTC, the FRC Kickoff event was an opportunity for teams competing in the 2012 season to see the new game challenge and rules firsthand. Teams across the nation, and in Canada, Israel, and Mexico, watched the proceedings via NASA-TV broadcast or webcast from 73 Kickoff sites, many of which also offered workshops and a chance to meet other teams.

FRC Kits, Lined Up by Devry University Kit Elves, Await Collection by Teams

In addition to getting their first look at “Rebound Rumble” teams also received their Kit of Parts made up of motors, batteries, a control system, a PC, and a mix of automation components – but no instructions. Working with adult Mentors, students have six weeks to design, build, program, and test their robots to meet the season’s engineering challenge.

The Kickoff included presentations by FIRST founder Dean Kamen; NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden; PTC President and CEO Jim Heppelmann; FIRST Chairman Walt P. Havenstein; FIRST National Advisor Dr. Woodie Flowers; and FIRST president Jon Dudas. The program also featured remarks by former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush; Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report; and FIRST Robotics Competition Director Bill Miller. The program also recognized this year’s Safety Animation Award winner, Arrowbots (FIRST Team #3705) of Brampton, Ontario, Canada, and the 2012 FIRST Safety Video presented by Underwriters Laboratories.

Learn more about this year’s game and read quotes and comments from Kick-Off speakers at http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/2012-rebound-rumble.

About FIRST

Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from three out of every five Fortune 500 companies and nearly $14 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST  Robotics Competition (FRC ) and FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) for high-school students, FIRSTLEGOLeague (FLL) for 9 to 14-year-olds, (9 to 16-year-olds outside the U.S., Canada, and Mexico) and Junior FIRST LEGOLeague (Jr.FLL) for 6 to 9-year-olds. Gracious Professionalism™ is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org

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Dean Kamen Joined by National Luminaries to Kick off FRC 2012 Season!

Posted on January 6, 2012 by tmw2010

Who:        FIRST ® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) will be joined by public figures to launch the 2012 season of the FIRST®Robotics Competition (FRC®) with a worldwide Kickoff event originating from Manchester, N.H.

  • The 2012 season will include an estimated 2,355 teams (nearly 60,000 high-school students) participating in 68 Regional and District events. All teams will be shown the 2012 robotics game field and challenge for the first time and will receive an exciting, new Kit of Parts made up of motors, batteries, a control system, and a mix of automation components – but no instructions. Teams will have six weeks to design and build robots to meet this year’s engineering challenge.

Dignitaries and public figures from across the nation will deliver remarks on video and in person, including (in order of appearance):

  • Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report
  • Jon Dudas, FIRST President
  • Former President, George W. Bush
  • Walt Havenstein, FIRST Chairman
  • Chairman’s Award video by FIRST Team 359, Hawaii
  • Former President, Bill Clinton
  • Dr. Woodie Flowers, FIRST National Advisor
  • Scholarship video by Jean Zheng, Stephen Hall, Yale University
  • Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company
  • Dean Kamen, FIRST Founder & President of DEKA Research & Development Corp.
  • Kate Pilotte, Collin Fultz, FIRST Kit of Parts Engineers
  • Aneesh Chopra, White House CTO
  • Alex Kipman, General Manager, Hardware Incubation, Xbox, Microsoft Corp.
  • Charlie Bolden, NASA Administrator
  • Jim Heppelmann, CEO, PTC
  • FRC Game Design Committee Introductions
  • Bill Miller, Director, FIRST Robotics Competition
  • Team Safety Animation winner, FIRST Team 3705 Arrowbots
  • Dr. Aidan Browne, Chief Referee, FRC
  • will.i.am, Grammy-award winning artist/producer and Director of Creative Innovation, Intel
  • and other Special Guests 

 What:       Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an annual competition that challenges high-school students – working alongside professional Mentors – to design and build a robot of their own, and compete in a ‘ Sport for the Mind™’ that measures the effectiveness of each robot, the power of teamwork and collaboration, and Gracious Professionalism™. Students build and program their own robots against a field of competitors and experience the excitement of science, engineering, technology and innovation. www.usfirst.org.

 When:      Saturday, January 7, 2012 – 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Broadcast

 Where:    Southern New Hampshire University, 2500 North River Road, Manchester, N.H. and across the nation!              

  • Remote FIRST teams will tune in via NASA-TV broadcast and Web cast from 74 Kickoffs. Access the NASA webcast via link from www.usfirst.org News & Headlines section. To locate teams in your area, visit www.usfirst.org and click on the “What FIRST Teams & Events Are In My Area” block in the top right corner. For a listing of local Kickoff locations, visit  http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/local-kickoff-information.
  • In Florida, kick off events are being held in Coconut Creek, Melbourne and Orlando!
Check back early next week for photos and game news!

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FIRST® LEGO® League Kid-Invention to Receive $250,000 Investment from Edison Nation

Posted on December 24, 2011 by tmw2010

MANCHESTER, N.H.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–One of 20,000 FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL®) teams around the world tackling food safety issues will win an investment prize of up to $250,000 for their solution, as winner of the 2012 FLL Global Innovation Award. The award’s new “Go-To-Market Sponsor,” Edison Nation, has offered to bring the winning idea through the same product development process showcased in their Emmy® award-winning PBS television show Everyday Edisons.

“Through our EdisonNation.com platform, we’re able to work with all kinds of independent inventors to help make their ideas a reality,” said CEO of Edison Nation, Louis Foreman. “Our Edison Nation team is excited to work with these young FLL inventors and to leverage our industry capabilities to get their innovations to market.”

Now in its second consecutive year, the FLL Global Innovation Award encourages, celebrates, and supports youth innovation by offering 200,000 FIRST LEGO League participants the chance to compete and win support for their research projects. At the end of the FIRST LEGO League competition season, teams will be invited to submit their research ideas between January 19 and March 1, 2012, to the FLL Global Innovation Award website. A judging panel of industry leaders will review the submissions. The public can also review and vote on the submissions at http://fllinnovationaward.firstlegoleague.org/. One winning team and two runner-up winners will be named at the FLL Global Innovation Award ceremony on June 19 at the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) in Alexandria, Va.

“It is innovation that changes the way we live and makes life better and more exciting,” said Founder of FIRST Dean Kamen, adding, “The FLL Global Innovation Award celebrates and encourages innovation by asking kids to think about improving their own future.”

FIRST LEGO League is one of four programs offered by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a not-for-profit that inspires an appreciation of science and technology in young people.FIRST issues an annual challenge to FLL teams on a real-world scientific topic comprised of three parts: the Robot Game, the Project, and the FLL Core Values. This season’s theme is food safety.

Three additional program Partners, Booz Allen Hamilton, John Deere, and Mastercard have also agreed to sponsor the award this year. Tying into the FOOD FACTOR® theme, representatives from the National Center for Food Protection and Defense are expected to attend the ceremony, as well as celebrity chef and inventor Homaro Cantu. Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTODavid Kappos, inventor Dean Kamen, Louis Foreman, representatives from LEGO, and FIRST President Jon Dudas are among other notable guests expected to attend and honor the winning and runner-up teams.

Edison Nation® is an idea-to-shelf consumer product developer behind such products as Eggies®, Gyro Bowl®, Emery Cat® and Mister Steamy®. Edison Nation operates an invention-centric multi-platform organization, including Everyday Edisons, an Emmy® Award-winning series on public television now in production for Season 4 and Inventors Digest, a top trade publication dedicated to the study of business and innovation. Edison Nation utilizes a $25 Million Innovation Fund and corporate relationships with the country’s top retailers, manufacturers and ASOTV companies to bring independent inventor-driven ideas to market. Products can be found in all major mass retailers across the country. Edison Nation was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. For more information, please visit www.edisonnation.com.

FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL®) is an international program for 9 to 16 year-old children (9 to 14 in US/CAN/MEX) created in a partnership between FIRST and The LEGO Group in 1998 to get children excited about science and technology – and teach them valuable employment and life skills. Using LEGO®MINDSTORMS® technologies and LEGO Education materials, children work alongside adult Coaches to design, build, and program autonomous robots and create an innovative solution to a problem as part of their research project. After eight intense weeks, the competition season culminates at high-energy, sports-like tournaments. Like any other organized “sport,” teams also fundraise, create a team identity, and participate in field trips.

About FIRST®

Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from three out of every five Fortune 500 companies and more than $14 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC® ) and FIRST® Tech Challenge(FTC® ) for high-school students, FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL® ) for 9 to 16-year-olds (9 to 14 in US/CAN/MEX) and Junior FIRST® LEGO® League (Jr.FLL®) for 6 to 9-year-olds. Gracious Professionalism™ is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50114180&lang=en

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FIRST ®, Yale Alumni Group Announce Strategic Alliance

Posted on December 8, 2011 by tmw2010

FIRST ®, Yale Science and Engineering Association to Inspire Next Generation of Engineering and Automation Professionals

Pilot Program Inspires Yale Alumni to Lend Expertise to FIRST as Coaches, Mentors, Volunteers

MANCHESTER, N.H., December 5, 2011 ― FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a not-for-profit organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology, and the Yale Science & Engineering Association (YSEA) today announced a national Strategic Alliance and a U.S.-based pilot program to promote the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in K-12 education. FIRST and Yale will mobilize resources to collaborate and promote K-12 after-school participation in the FIRST robotics progression of four robotics programs.

Currently, estimates indicate that jobs in U.S. high-tech manufacturing companies are going unfilled because companies can’t find people with the necessary skills. In addition, the failure to develop math and science skills has resulted in the U.S. falling behind other countries such as China and India.

“We want our culture to celebrate science and technology, and we want our society to be one where countless young people not only dream of being engineering, science and technology leaders; but also have the mentoring that can inspire and enable great achievement,” said Dean Kamen, FIRST Founder and President of DEKA Research & Development Corporation.

FIRST will assist the YSEA Alumni across the country with resources such as materials, guidelines for starting robotics teams, as well as marketing support. YSEA members and volunteers across the nation will assist FIRST regional, affiliate and operational partners and will provide volunteers, Mentors and Coaches for events in their geographic areas to collectively build local collaboration.

“Yale has been cultivating cutting-edge engineers for more than 150 years,” said T. Kyle Vanderlick, Dean of the Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science. “We are delighted that some of our most committed alumni will be working with one of the nation’s most creative engineering advocates to ensure a rich supply of bold, innovative problem-solvers for our society.”

Yale Alumni will work with regional FIRST leadership, partners and events on a state-by-state basis to encourage members of the YSEA community to engage with, volunteer for, as well as advocate and support FIRST programs. The goal of the pilot program will be to increase the number of young people and numbers of teams and volunteers actively participating in all robotics initiatives across all four programs at FIRST.

“This strategic alignment encourages our students to continue their successes in science and engineering technology,” said Jon Dudas, FIRST President. “There is a tremendous fit between Yale and FIRST. FIRST students will benefit tremendously from the expertise offered by the Alumni in science and engineering from Yale. And, the resulting collective intelligence will no doubt play a key role in improving the longer-term standing of the U.S. in the sciences as the foundation for our innovation society.”

About YSEA

The Yale Science and Engineering Association (YSEA) connects Yale Alumni with students, the University, and each other to strengthen the Yale science and engineering community. Comprised of alumni working together to strengthen Yale’s education of leaders for a world increasingly dominated by science and technology the Association works to: promote the highest quality of science and engineering at Yale in the students, faculty, facilities and courses of study; assists students financially with research grants, prizes and scholarships; recognizes and promotes the accomplishments of Yale students, faculty and distinguished alumni with special awards and prizes; communicates with its membership to encourage interaction between Yale and its engineering and science alumni and between Yale and private and public enterprise; and makes strategic investments to enable or complement Yale initiatives which advance science and engineering.

About FIRST®

Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from three out of every five Fortune 500 companies and nearly $14 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC®) and FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC®) for high-school students, FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL®) for 9 to 14-year-olds, (9 to 16-year-olds outside the U.S., Canada and Mexico) and Junior FIRST® LEGO® League (Jr.FLL®) for 6 to 9-year-olds. Gracious Professionalism™ is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to http://www.usfirst.org.

Filed under: FIRST in the News, FIRST Resources, STEM news | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

A Message from Dean on the Second Generation E-Watt Saver Bulbs

Posted on December 7, 2011 by tmw2010
Greetings Teams:
 
2nd generation e-watt saver bulbs are now available for your fundraising effort.
 
Over 450 teams participated in FIRST’s e-watt saver program during the past 11 months, raising more than $650,000.  We are excited to see 25 new teams involved with the fundraising since the new 2nd generation bulbs launched in October.
 
There is still time to sell bulbs for the Holiday Season!  Bulbs ordered before noon ship the same day, and with more than 15,000 bulbs in inventory, you can confidently accept orders and deliver them before the Holidays.
 
Here are some key points about the new bulbs:
 
·         Two bulbs available this year:
o   a 450-lumen replacement for the 1st generation bulb selling at $15 (suggested retail price) – a $5 price drop from the prior bulb!
o   a new 800-lumen bulb that directly replaces a 60W incandescent bulb with a suggested retail price of $26
 
·         Thanks to continued support from our friends at Google, Teams can purchase bulbs for only $7.50 for the 450-lumen bulb or $17 for the 800-lumen bulb
 
·         2nd generation e-watt saver bulbs are designed and tested in Florida and produced in Mexico
 
·         Significant upgrades and new features:
o   dimmable to 5% light output
o   omni-directional (light in all directions, like an incandescent)
o   5-year warranty
o   25,000-hour life
 
To learn about setting up an account to order bulbs visit:  www.usfirst.org/e-wattresources.  The program is year-round.
 
Good luck raising funds for your teams with our e-watt saver bulbs. See you at Regionals and in St. Louis!
 
Dean Kamen
FIRST, Founder and President, DEKA

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FRC Student Meets Bill Clinton at Masie Learning 2011!

Posted on November 15, 2011 by tmw2010
 

Meeting former President Bill Clinton

One extra perk from last week’s Masie Learning conference was the opportunity for an FRC student to meet with former President Bill Clinton. The honor went to  FRC Exploding Bacon team member, Katie Austin, who got to spend a little time with President Clinton, and with FIRST founder Dean Kamen.   More icing on the cake that is FRC!

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