Tuesday, April 10, 2012

You're Invited to the 2012 FIRST Championship


Making a Quiet Idea Loud


Two decades ago, FIRST® began as an idea in the mind of Founder Dean Kamen. It was a big idea, but it was a quiet idea. Since then, that idea has grown not only in scope but also in volume, and has exploded into one that is loud enough for all the world to hear. Indeed, they are listening.

Although that idea and its message have increased in volume, it is still the same: to help young people transform our culture by discovering the wonders of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and apply what they learn as future science and technology leaders. 

Thanks to a diverse group of dignitaries and luminaries in the arenas of government, media, entertainment, literature, and business, this important message is now being heard around the world. Among those making sure the message is loud and clear are music mogul, tech entrepreneur, and The Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am; Academy Award-winning actor, director, and narrator Morgan Freeman; respected CNN journalist Soledad O’Brien; Neal Bascomb, author of “The New Cool” — an inspiring book about FIRST; and U.S. President Barack Obama, who recognized our efforts at the annual White House Science Fair. In addition, three out of every five of America’s Fortune 500 corporations now support or sponsor FIRST teams and events. 

While we deeply appreciate all that these folks have done on behalf of FIRST, our goals would not be attainable without the help of the hundreds of thousands of participants, Mentors, Coaches, Sponsors, parents, teachers, and Volunteers who have helped our organization grow from its original 28 teams in 1992, to the more than 26,000 teams from over 60 countries around the world today. Indeed, they are our loudest advocates and we encourage them to keep talking. Because of their tireless efforts, nearly 300,000 kids have an opportunity to transform their ideas — big or small — into reality.
We are extremely proud of all that has been accomplished and, in fact, surpassed in the past twenty-plus years and invite you to celebrate with us at the annualFIRST Championship, which will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, April 25 - 28, 2012. More than 12,000 team members will participate in the FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC®) Championship (400 teams); FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC®) World Championship (128 teams); FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL®) World Festival(78 teams); and the Junior FIRST® LEGO® League (Jr.FLL®) World Festival Expo(40 teams). As always, our teams are invigorated, energized, and inspired to meet the challenges of this year’s games. 

           

FRC teams will take to the field to compete in Rebound Rumble℠, where fast robots score basketballs in hoops and balance on bridges in the grand finale of the match. In the FTC BOWLED OVER!℠ game, robots must be robust enough to push a bowling ball uphill, yet sophisticated enough to pick up racquetballs and place them into crates, and stack the crates to score points. In the FOOD FACTOR®Challenge, FLL teams build, test, and program an autonomous robot to solve a set of food safety missions and improve the quality of food by finding ways to prevent food contamination. Our youngest scientists explore where food comes from and what it takes to keep our food safe, fresh, and healthy in the Jr.FLL SNACK ATTACK℠ Challenge.

As we head into our 23rd year, we know there will always be more work to do, but we are heartened by the groundswell of support we continue to receive. While we welcome the competitive challenges ahead, we know that FIRST is about more than just competitions. It is also about the critical life skills our team members learn — such as creative problem solving, collaboration, and teamwork — that will guide them in their mission to transform the world through innovation, science, and technology. 

Please join us as we listen to what they have to say — and discover what all the noise is about.
Click on Championship links to the left for additional event details.See you there!
The FIRST Staff




THANK YOU!

To our 2012 FIRST Championship Sponsors... 
Official Championship Sponsor:
 Qualcomm Foundation; Lead Championship Sponsors: Abbott, Autodesk, The Boeing Company, SAIC, Saint Louis Science Center, Siemens, U.S. Air Force, and United Technologies; FIRST Championship Sponsors: Coca-Cola and National Defense Education Program (NDEP); FIRST Shipping Sponsor: FedEx; Machine Shop & Satellite Broadcast Sponsor: NASA; FIRST Safety Partner: UL; FIRST LEGO League World Festival Pit Sponsor: Intel; FIRST Event Sponsor: Google Inc.; FIRST Robotics Conference Sponsor: Rolls-Royce; Championship Supporters: Army’s Rapid Equipment Force, Avnet, Central Intelligence Agency, and International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE)Our Founding Sponsors...
Boston Scientific Corporation, Baxter International Inc., The Chrysler Foundation, DEKA Research & Development, Delphi, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Motorola, Inc., and Xerox Corporation
And our Strategic Partners...
BAE Systems, The Boeing Company, DEKA Research & Development, FedEx Corporation, General Motors Corporation, jcpenney, Johnson & Johnson, Motorola Solutions Foundation, NASA, National Instruments, PTC, Rockwell Automation, Rockwell Collins, and Time Warner Cable



For inspiration and recognition of science and technology
Donate Now
FIRST • 200 Bedford St., Manchester, NH 03101 • (800) 871-8326 • www.usfirst.org
Our Vision: "...to transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders." Dean Kamen, Founder.


FIRST

April 2012



FIRST Notes




FIRST Championship
April 25-28, 2012
St. Louis, Missouri


Join us!
Free event
Spectators welcome
Spectator schedule
St. Louis visitors' info
FIRST on social media
Mobile resources coming
soon... watch for details
on the Web, Twitter, 
Facebook
, and blogs
Can't Attend?
* View NASA Webcast
via link from FIRST
homepage






Championship Highlights
* FLL Friendship Day,
hosted by the Saint
Louis Science Center...
teams from 30+ countries 
to be greeted by St. Louis 
FLL teams
* Scholarship Row
featuring 40+ schools 
and organizations
* FIRST Sponsor & 
Alliance exhibits
* Supplier Showcase
exhibits by 15+
FRC Kit of Parts Suppliers

* Hall of Fame display of
FRC Chairman's Award
teams
* Dozens of workshops
at the  FIRST Robotics 
Conference

* FIRST Event at the
Ballpark
* FIRST Night Out in
St. Louis

* Commemorative 
merchandise





Volunteer Opportunities
Are Still Available!
Sign up today
Volunteer Orientation
* Virtual/Webinars
Tuesday, April 10 
at 7:00PM EST
Wednesday, April 18 
at 8:30PM EST
* Onsite
Wednesday, April 25 
at 6:00PM CDT
More info and recordings
of Virtual Orientation
Webinars






Making a Quiet Idea Loud


Two decades ago, FIRST® began as an idea in the mind of Founder Dean Kamen. It was a big idea, but it was a quiet idea. Since then, that idea has grown not only in scope but also in volume, and has exploded into one that is loud enough for all the world to hear. Indeed, they are listening.

Although that idea and its message have increased in volume, it is still the same: to help young people transform our culture by discovering the wonders of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and apply what they learn as future science and technology leaders. 

Thanks to a diverse group of dignitaries and luminaries in the arenas of government, media, entertainment, literature, and business, this important message is now being heard around the world. Among those making sure the message is loud and clear are music mogul, tech entrepreneur, and The Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am; Academy Award-winning actor, director, and narrator Morgan Freeman; respected CNN journalist Soledad O’Brien; Neal Bascomb, author of “The New Cool” — an inspiring book about FIRST; and U.S. President Barack Obama, who recognized our efforts at the annual White House Science Fair. In addition, three out of every five of America’s Fortune 500 corporations now support or sponsor FIRST teams and events. 

While we deeply appreciate all that these folks have done on behalf of FIRST, our goals would not be attainable without the help of the hundreds of thousands of participants, Mentors, Coaches, Sponsors, parents, teachers, and Volunteers who have helped our organization grow from its original 28 teams in 1992, to the more than 26,000 teams from over 60 countries around the world today. Indeed, they are our loudest advocates and we encourage them to keep talking. Because of their tireless efforts, nearly 300,000 kids have an opportunity to transform their ideas — big or small — into reality.
We are extremely proud of all that has been accomplished and, in fact, surpassed in the past twenty-plus years and invite you to celebrate with us at the annualFIRST Championship, which will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, April 25 - 28, 2012. More than 12,000 team members will participate in the FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC®) Championship (400 teams); FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC®) World Championship (128 teams); FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL®) World Festival(78 teams); and the Junior FIRST® LEGO® League (Jr.FLL®) World Festival Expo(40 teams). As always, our teams are invigorated, energized, and inspired to meet the challenges of this year’s games. 

           

FRC teams will take to the field to compete in Rebound Rumble℠, where fast robots score basketballs in hoops and balance on bridges in the grand finale of the match. In the FTC BOWLED OVER!℠ game, robots must be robust enough to push a bowling ball uphill, yet sophisticated enough to pick up racquetballs and place them into crates, and stack the crates to score points. In the FOOD FACTOR® Challenge, FLL teams build, test, and program an autonomous robot to solve a set of food safety missions and improve the quality of food by finding ways to prevent food contamination. Our youngest scientists explore where food comes from and what it takes to keep our food safe, fresh, and healthy in the Jr.FLLSNACK ATTACK℠ Challenge.

As we head into our 23rd year, we know there will always be more work to do, but we are heartened by the groundswell of support we continue to receive. While we welcome the competitive challenges ahead, we know that FIRST is about more than just competitions. It is also about the critical life skills our team members learn — such as creative problem solving, collaboration, and teamwork — that will guide them in their mission to transform the world through innovation, science, and technology. 

Please join us as we listen to what they have to say — and discover what all the noise is about.
Click on Championship links to the left for additional event details.See you there!
The FIRST Staff




THANK YOU!

To our 2012 FIRST Championship Sponsors... 
Official Championship Sponsor:
 Qualcomm Foundation; Lead Championship Sponsors: Abbott, Autodesk, The Boeing Company, SAIC, Saint Louis Science Center, Siemens, U.S. Air Force, and United Technologies; FIRST Championship Sponsors: Coca-Cola and National Defense Education Program (NDEP); FIRST Shipping Sponsor: FedEx; Machine Shop & Satellite Broadcast Sponsor: NASA; FIRST Safety Partner: UL; FIRST LEGO League World Festival Pit Sponsor: Intel; FIRST Event Sponsor: Google Inc.; FIRST Robotics Conference Sponsor: Rolls-Royce; Championship Supporters: Army’s Rapid Equipment Force, Avnet, Central Intelligence Agency, and International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE)Our Founding Sponsors...
Boston Scientific Corporation, Baxter International Inc., The Chrysler Foundation, DEKA Research & Development, Delphi, General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Motorola, Inc., and Xerox Corporation
And our Strategic Partners...
BAE Systems, The Boeing Company, DEKA Research & Development, FedEx Corporation, General Motors Corporation, jcpenney, Johnson & Johnson, Motorola Solutions Foundation, NASA, National Instruments, PTC, Rockwell Automation, Rockwell Collins, and Time Warner Cable



For inspiration and recognition of science and technology
Donate Now
FIRST • 200 Bedford St., Manchester, NH 03101 • (800) 871-8326  www.usfirst.org
Our Vision: "...to transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders."Dean Kamen, Founder.