FIRST was founded in 1989 by inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen. It stands for For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology. The FIRST program was started to inspire young people to make science and technology a part of their lives, education and future careers, all the while gaining knowledge and life skills.
FIRST is a multi-national, non-profit organization that aims to change culture, so that science, math, engineering and technology are as cool to kids as sports. The program started with 28 teams in a New Hampshire school gym over 22 years ago. Now, more than 250,000 participate with over 4000 teams. Teams participate in annual FIRST Robotics Competitions.
In order to prepare for the FIRST Robotics Competitions teams of students work together to build a robot during a six week build period. They dream up ideas for a robot, design it from scratch to play a whole new game, compete against other FRC teams, modifying and refining the robot as they go, give presentations to judges, sponsors and community organizations, do computer programming, create animations, and develop business plans.
Students learn the FIRST values of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition. Gracious Professionalism is competing like crazy, but treating each other with respect and kindness in the process. Students learn to act with integrity and sensitivity. Coopertition is the philosophy that teams can and should help and cooperate with each other even as they compete.
Through the FRC program, students are able to:
FIRST is a multi-national, non-profit organization that aims to change culture, so that science, math, engineering and technology are as cool to kids as sports. The program started with 28 teams in a New Hampshire school gym over 22 years ago. Now, more than 250,000 participate with over 4000 teams. Teams participate in annual FIRST Robotics Competitions.
In order to prepare for the FIRST Robotics Competitions teams of students work together to build a robot during a six week build period. They dream up ideas for a robot, design it from scratch to play a whole new game, compete against other FRC teams, modifying and refining the robot as they go, give presentations to judges, sponsors and community organizations, do computer programming, create animations, and develop business plans.
Students learn the FIRST values of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition. Gracious Professionalism is competing like crazy, but treating each other with respect and kindness in the process. Students learn to act with integrity and sensitivity. Coopertition is the philosophy that teams can and should help and cooperate with each other even as they compete.
Through the FRC program, students are able to:
- Apply engineering principles to the design, build, and operation of custom robots for competitions
- Program custom robots for both autonomous and human operated modes
- Team members have the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from professional engineers
- Develop our skills in design, project management, programming, teamwork and strategic thinking
- Learn and use CAD and other engineering software
- Embody the FIRST ideals of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition
- Volunteer in the community
- Compete for more than $16 million in college scholarships available to FIRST participants
