Thousands of Midwest Teens Exhibit Prowess for Building, Design and Strategy at FIRST Robotics Competition
2004年3月23日 - 2:56AM
PRニュース・ワイアー (英語)
Thousands of Midwest Teens Exhibit Prowess for Building, Design and
Strategy at FIRST Robotics Competition Students Learn Mechanics and
Maturity, Design and Determination From Professional Mentors at
Midwest FIRST Regional, March 25-27 CHICAGO, March22 /PRNewswire/
-- High school students from 14 states and more than 50 area school
districts have been tasked with the challenge and excitement of
designing and building an original robot in the FIRST (For
Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics
Competition ( http://www.usfirst.org/ ). This week, at Northwestern
University, six weeks of intense design and construction will
culminate in the Midwest Regional FIRST competition where 56 teams
of students and engineering and technical mentors will demonstrate
their skill for science, mathematics and technology. They will
compete for honors and recognition that reward design excellence,
competitive play, sportsmanship and high-impact partnerships
between schools, businesses and communities. Founded by inventor
Dean Kamen, who recently introduced the Segway(TM) Human
Transporter (HT), FIRST was created to inspire an appreciation of
science and technology in young people, their schools and their
communities. Currently in its thirteenth year, the FIRST Robotics
Competition anticipates its largest season ever with more than 900
teams from Brazil, the U.K., Canada and nearly every state in the
United States competing in 26 different regional competitions. More
than 1,500 students will compete at the Midwest Regional to earn a
spot at the Championship held April 15-17 at The Georgia Dome in
Atlanta, Georgia. "The FIRST Robotics Competition is not just about
the design and building of sophisticated robots. These students
also develop maturity, professionalism, teamwork and mentoring
skills that enrich their lives," said Dean Kamen. "Many of our
students develop an affinity for their science and math courses, go
on to study engineering, technology or science in college, andalso
pursue employment opportunities with sponsoring companies." This
season, participating FIRST students are also eligible to apply for
over $3.8 million in scholarships from leading universities,
colleges and companies. All scholarship announcements will be made
at the FIRST Championship in April. Over a six-week timeframe,
students work with their professional mentors to design a robot
that solves a problem using a "kit of parts" and a standard set of
rules. Once these young inventors create the robot, their teams
participate in regional competitions that measure the effectiveness
of each robot, the power of collaboration and the determination of
students. In this year's game, "FIRST Frenzy: Raising the Bar,"
robots are designed to collectand pass 13" balls to the human
player to then shoot them into fixed and moveable goals. There are
30" balls on the playing field that can be placed on top of any
goal by a robot, which will double the point value in the goal.
Additionally, robots may attempt to "hang" from a 10' bar -- all in
less than two minutes. Since its beginning, FIRST has had a
positive impact on students and academic communities. Research has
shown that participating FIRST students' attitudes about science,
math, teamwork and the working world significantly improved after
participating. The students' self image also improved, particularly
in minority groups. Also, interest in internship and employment
opportunities with sponsoring companies increased. FIRST Midwest
sponsors and volunteers come from some of the most highly regarded
organizations in the area, including Comau-Pico, DeVry University
and Motorola. Sponsors provide resources including time and talent
from professional mentors, services, equipment, financial
contributions and volunteers. 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, their schools and their
communities. 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 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(TM) League for children 9-14 years old. To learn
more about FIRST and the 2004 FIRST Robotics Competition go to
http://www.usfirst.org/ . DATASOURCE: FIRST Robotics CONTACT:
Marisa Russo of DeVry, +1-312-502-1314, Web site:
http://www.usfirst.org/ http://www.devry.com/
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