FRC Update: Unrestricted Regional Event Registration Open, FIRST CMP Waitlist Registration for Veteran Teams that DID Compete at the 2012 FIRST CMP Opens 11/8/12 at 12 noon ET

Posted on November 7, 2012 by tmw2010
Greetings Teams:
Unrestricted Regional Event Registration Now Open - teams can register for additional regional events in TIMS: https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso.
FIRST Championship Waitlist Registration for Veteran Teams that DID Compete at the 2012 FIRST Championship opens Thursday, 11/8/12 at 12 pm (noon) ET: At this time, veteran teams that DID compete at the 2012 FIRST Championship will be able to waitlist register in TIMS:https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso.
Teams on Regional Event Waitlists - please read the following to better understand how the waitlist process works:
  • If the event you select is full, your team is added to the waitlist;
  • FIRST reserves slots for late registering rookie teams for every regional event.  Once registration closes on Thursday, 12/6/12 if there are any reserved slots left, waitlisted teams will then be moved in;
  • For each event weekend a team can only sign up or join the waitlist for one event (i.e., a team cannot be registered/waitlisted for two events occurring on the same weekend);
  • FIRST does not issue the waitlist. Teams attending any given regional can change at the last moment as their finances are determined, therefore the number of places available can also change. It is also unknown how many late registering rookies there will be. We do not want teams making definite plans based on their place on a waitlist when information may be changing.
Tip!  If you find yourself on a waitlist, please bear in mind that teams drop out of events for various reasons and many times a waitlisted team is able to get into the event of their choice!
Steele Meetings Hotel Program: This year, 47 FRC Regional Events are participating in the FIRST hotel program. Please visit:http://www.firstchampionshiphousing.com/ for reservation information.
New Lower Bulb Pricing For Fundraising: More great news, teams! To help make it easier than ever before to raise team funds from our ongoing FIRST Green e-watt saver light bulb program,FIRST is announcing NEW PRICING on the 800-lumen bulb –now just $8.50 per bulb, or $204 per case! That’s a price drop of over 40%! PLUS…we’ve lowered the retail sales price to just $20! That means your team profit remains unchanged ($11.50 per bulb minus shipping), but you can attract more customers with this new, lower price. This is a great opportunity to reach new customers while reconnecting with people who declined to buy at the higher price point. Everybody loves a bargain, so take advantage of this new pricing by stocking up today and getting out there with the good news! 

For complete details, please visit: www.usfirst.org/e-wattresources. Order today and happy selling!
Kit & Kickoff section in TIMS is open: The Kit & Kickoff section of TIMS is open. If you haven’t done so already, team main and alternate contacts can select your team’s Kit & Kickoff preferences in TIMS now: https://my.usfirst.org/frc/tims/site.lasso.
Please note: Picking up your Kit of Parts (KoP) at a Kickoff will save your team shipping costs. If your team chooses not to attend any Kickoff, the KoP will be shipped to your team’s shipping contact and your team will be responsible for the shipping costs. Teams that choose to have their KoP shipped can expect to receive it sometime during the week after Kickoff.  International teams should be aware that delivery date will depend on customs clearance.
Bag & Tag Exemptions:  If bringing your robot to a competition event presents your team with a substantial hardship – for example, if your team needs to travel a great distance or cross an ocean to get to your event – you may request a bag and tag exemption by sending an email to: frcteams@usfirst.org. 
In your request, please include as much detail as possible to support why an exemption is required. Please use the subject line: Bag and Tag Exemption Request, Team XXXX, with your team number in place of “XXXX” in your email. Exemption requests must be submitted by Friday, 12/7/12.
Go Teams!
FRC Team Support
 
FIRST® is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) Not-For-Profit Organization
V 603-666-3906
F 603-666-3907

Filed under: FIRST Championship, FIRST events, FIRST Resources, FRC | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

FLL Update: That’s a bright idea, Meet me in St. Louis, Wouldn’t it be Cool if…

Posted on March 2, 2012 by tmw2010

That’s a bright idea!

The FIRST Green e-watt saver Program Sales Incentive kicked off on February 1.  The FLL team with the most bulbs ordered between February 1, 2012 and the first day of the 2012 FIRST Championship on April 25th will receive a $1,000 Sales Incentive Award. Both 450 lumen and 800 lumen bulbs count toward the total. Winners will be posted at the FIRST Green e-watt saver booth in St. Louis.  Winners will also be notified by e-mail by April 26th.

The $1,000 award will be issued to offset any FIRST-related expenses including registration fees, travel stipend, parts, and meals related to FIRST or similar FIRST expenses, excluding any payments made to an individual for services provided.  The winner must e-mail scanned receipts totaling at least $1,000 to e-watt@usfirst.org for the payment to be issued to teams within 30 days.  For additional information on the e-watt program, go to www.usfirst.org/e-wattresources. Specifics of the Sales Incentive are found on theteam resources page .

Meet me in St. Louis

The FIRST Championship is the final and largest event of the season. It will be held April 25-28, 2012, at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. At the Championship, FLL participates in World Festival. It is a culminating celebration of the FLL season, and is a beautiful mix of cultures and skill sets. This event is open to the public and free of charge.

Wouldn’t It Be Cool If…..FLL teams get involved!

Did one or two members of your team come up with great inventions this year that didn’t get chosen as your team’s Project solution?  Did you have an idea from a previous Project that you still believe is an awesome idea? Now you can submit those ideas for a new competition!

On February 21, FLL’s Strategic Partner, Time Warner Cable (TWC), as part of its Connect a Million Minds initiative, and i.am FIRST, founded by artist and entrepreneur will.i.am, launched a new campaign called Wouldn’t It Be Cool If…, a national competition that challenges kids in the United States ages 10 to 15 to dream up cool STEM-powered invention ideas to make our lives, our communities, and even the world more awesome. The FIRST community is encouraged to participate.

Four finalists will travel to St. Louis, Missouri to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges, includingFIRST’s Dean Kamen, will.i.am, and others on April 25, 2012, during the FIRST Championship. The grand prize winner will receive the opportunity to work with Fahrenheit 212, a leading innovation firm to help develop the winning idea, and may bring it to life. To learn more about the Wouldn’t It Be Cool If… competition, submit your awesome idea, and to vote, visit www.wouldntitbecoolif.com. The deadline for submissions is March 28, 2012 so start thinking, and think BIG!

What We Discover Is More Important Than What We Win

 

It’s time to celebrate a great Food Factor season! Many of you won awards and others didn’t, but it’s what you experienced along the way that makes it a successful season. Kudos to the FLL judges who volunteer their time, knowledge and support at each FLL event. They come from all types of backgrounds, and go through extensive training to become judges. They adhere to FLL Global Standards and guidelines, and do their best to recognize as many teams as possible. As with any judging process, there are going to be subjective rulings. You may not always agree with their decisions, but you can rest assured knowing they strive to be as fair possible. Please remember to show your judges the Gracious Professionalism they deserve and thank them for all they do.   Here’s what FIRST Founder, Dean Kamen has to say on the subject.

 

*THIS EMAIL IS FROM FIRST LEGO LEAGUE 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

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

FLL Update: New Videos/FLL Global Innovation Award/Quick Poll/e-watt saver bulbs

Posted on December 9, 2011 by tmw2010

Coaches:

 –>New Videos

FLL has some great new celebrity chef videos! Chef Duff Goldman (Food Network’s Ace of Cakes, Charm City Cakes) and Chef Wilo Benet (Pikayo Restaurant, Puerto Rico) have food safety tips to share with teams.

Chef Duff Goldman - http://bit.ly/v4yYbE

Chef Wilo Benet - http://bit.ly/rrNxGl

And, if you haven’t seen it already, be sure to check out the video of our own Scott Evans, FLL Engineer and Robot Game designer, reviewing this years’ Food Factor Robot Game. It’s about to hit 50,000 views!!!http://bit.ly/vhhwTe

 –> Is your team ready!? FLL Global Innovation Award

January is coming up quick and we hope your team is gearing up to enter their innovative Project idea on the FLL Global Innovation Award website, http://fllinnovationaward.firstlegoleague.org/. A specific outline of what to submit and exactly when/how to submit it will be provided to teams in the coming weeks.
But for now, FLL would like to “spice up” the prize. So…..select teams will each receive one-on-one consultations about their invention from leaders in innovation, Dean Kamen and Louis Foreman.  Dean Kamen, FIRST founder, holds more than 400 U.S. patents. Louis Foreman, Edison Nation founder, has reviewed thousands of ideas and helped inventors around the world turn their ideas into reality.  During the call teams are free to ask questions and get advice on their inventions. How cool is that?! Questions? Email fllinnovationaward@usfirst.org

 –>Quick Poll

I think robot matches should be….. (go to http://firstlegoleague.org/node/144 to take our latest FLL poll)

  –>Light Up December! Note from Dean Kamen  

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:

—>a 450-lumen replacement for the 1st generation bulb selling at $15 (suggested retail price) – a $5 price drop from the prior bulb!

—>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:

—>dimmable to 5% light output

—>omni-directional (light in all directions, like an incandescent)

—>5-year warranty

—>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.

Dean Kamen

Founder, FIRST and President, DEKA Research & Development Corporation

*THIS EMAIL IS FROM FIRST LEGO LEAGUE 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

Filed under: FIRST Resources, FLL | 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

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

FIRST ‘Green’ a Modern Day Twist on Team Fundraising Methods

Posted on November 6, 2011 by tmw2010

2nd generation FIRST® Green e-watt saver LED light bulbs now available to consumers

MANCHESTER, N.H., November 2, 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, today announced the FIRST® Green Fundraising programs offered by robotics teams ranging from elementary to high school are now available to consumers. A modern-day twist on traditional fundraising methods, the program aims to raise funds for student participation in the FIRSTrobotics competitions throughout the US with the sale of energy-efficient products such as LED bulbs.

“When we started FIRST Green initiatives for our robotics teams in 2010, we knew we were onto something: a 21st century fundraising technique that not only helped teams become self-sustaining in the short term; but which also helped them in the long term create a better environment which they will inherit someday,” said Dean Kamen, founder of FIRST. “The ability to sell LED bulbs and do energy audits gives the teams a chance to learn not only about viable ‘green’ technology and energy savings; but also strengthens their sales, marketing and leadership skills for whatever career paths they take.”

The program, which includes the sale of LED bulbs known as the FIRST Green e-watt saver, features a dimmable LED bulb. This program is now open to the general public via an online matching system (www.usfirst.org/firstled).The FIRST Green e-watt saver program was started in 2010 and has become an important source of fundraising for nearly 20 percent of the FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC®) U.S.-based high-school robotics teams as well as other programs offered by FIRST.

The 2nd generation FIRST Green e-watt saver LED light bulbs are designed by Lighting Science Group (OTCBB: LSCG) based in Florida and manufactured in Monterrey, Mexico. Through an agreement with Lighting Science Group, FIRST teams will resell the A19 LED bulbs offering an ultra-efficient 60 watt or 40 watt equivalent A19 LED bulb that is omni-directional, dimmable, and lasts an estimated 250,000 hours with a five-year warranty. The 800 lumen bulb can replace a 60 watt incandescent bulb and a 450 lumen version can replace a 40 watt incandescent bulb.

The suggested retail price is $15, including any sales taxes, for the 40w replacement and $26 for the 60w replacement with energy costs for the LED are estimated at only $1.02 per year for the 40w replacement and $1.63 per year for the 60w replacement when used 3 hours per day. The bulbs have an expected life of 22.8 years. FIRST teams raise funds by earning profit on each e-watt saver sold. The FIRST Green e-watt saver bulb is UL-listed in the U.S. and Canada and also approved by the FCC.

“Robotics programs like those we offer at FIRST continue to play a key role in the effort to go green,” said Jon Dudas, President of FIRST. “The push to make energy and transportation more efficient is a direct result of robotics helping to promote sustainable technologies and lessen the impact on the environment. Our students are also gaining valuable first-hand knowledge of these technologies through this innovative fundraising program.”

FIRST Green e-watt saver bulbs are now available through local teams in each state. For information on how to purchase a FIRST Green e-watt saver bulb from a FIRST team near you, visit www.usfirst.org/firstled or contact: e-watt@usfirst.org.

For more information, visit: www.usfirst.org/e-wattinfo.

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® ) 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. and Canada) 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.

 

Filed under: FIRST in the News, FIRST Resources, FLL, FRC, FTC | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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