Dean Kamen - Founder
Twelve years ago Dean founded FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), and ever since has remained its driving force, its guiding spirit, and, in the eyes of thousands of students across the country, its personal embodiment. FIRST uses wholesale marketing and media techniques to motivate the next generation to want to learn about science and technology. Dean has personally recruited scores of the top leaders of American industry, education and government in this crusade. The 2003 championship event attracted almost 400 teams and has impacted tens of thousands of students — many of them women or minorities from large urban schools.
"The secret of building a successful team is not to assemble the largest team possible, but rather to assemble a team that can work well together." Dean Kamen, Founder of FIRST. |
Woodie Flowers - National AdvisorDr. Woodie Flowers is the Papalardo Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Flowers designs the FIRST Robotics Competition specifics each year with FIRST founder Dean Kamen. Dr. Flowers also acts as the emcee of the FIRST Robotics Competitions. He has served as a national advisor to the FIRST Robotics Competition since its inception.
Dr. Flowers has started several new design courses, including one of the most famous courses at M.I.T., "Introduction to Design (2.70)." He is the director of M.I.T.'s New Products Program, a member of the Board of Directors of the General Scanning Corporation, a member of the Board of Advisors of the Meitec U.S.-Japan Friendship Corporation, an overseer for Boston's Museum of Fine Arts and former host of the PBS television series Scientific American Frontiers. For his teaching, he has received the Goodwin Medal, The Baker Award, The Den Hartog Distinguished Educator Award from M.I.T., and The Western Electric Award from The American Society of Engineering Education. |