For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology

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.

Dean Kamen founded FIRST and its Robotics Competition in 1989, with 28 teams and a single 14 x 14 foot playing field in a New Hampshire high school gym. With the help of Woodie Flowers, we now have more than 2000 teams participating nationwide and internationally, in more than 50 Regional events and a Championship event. The FIRST LEGO League has expanded its reach from children across the United States to countries around the world.

More information can be found on the FIRST Website.

FIRST Robotics Competition

The FIRST Robotics Competition is an exciting, nationwide competition that teams professionals and young people to solve an engineering design problem in an intense and competitive way. The program is a life-changing, career-molding experience? and a lot of fun. Teams come from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Germany, Herzegovina, Israel, Mexico, Turkey, the U.K., and almost every U.S. state. The competitions are high-tech spectator sporting events, the result of lots of focused brainstorming, real-world teamwork, dedicated mentoring, project timelines, and deadlines.

Colleges, universities, corporations, businesses, and individuals provide scholarships to our participants. Millions of dollars in scholarships were awarded each year. Involved engineers experience again many of the reasons they chose engineering as a profession, and the companies they work for contribute to the community while they prepare and create their future workforce. The competition shows students that the technological fields hold many opportunities and that the basic concepts of science, math, engineering, and invention are exciting and interesting.