What is FIRST?For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology is a organization focused on educating youth in STEM fundamentals. FIRST hosts a variety of programs with members from elementary school through college. FIRST prepares students with real-world skills that are applicable in any career and gets students involved in their communities.
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FIRST Tech Challenge
Each year, the game is revealed to all teams in September and field elements are shipped for setup. Once this is completed, the students creativity takes over, and prototype robot designs are made. Throughout the year, the team will upgrade their robot through new code and components, and record their findings in an all-encompassing engineering notebook. Teams will gather inspiration from fellow teams at challenges and perfect their designs before their qualifying competition. Both the robot and the notebook will be judged at the competitions, along with the team's presentation which summarizes the team's progress. Those teams that present the most innovative and functional robots, along with a complete engineering portfolio will have the best chance to move on to state and world championships.
Gracious ProfessionalismWhen a team's robot breaks down, members from other teams in the competition always come to their aid, despite the fact that they're competitors.
Gracious Professionalism is fundamental to FIRST. It's a concept that encourages high-quality work and encourages respect to all individuals regardless of relationship. Members of FIRST practice gracious professionalism in all programs. |
Connecting Students and their CommunitiesYouths get the opportunity to connect with significant figures in their communities through FIRST's outreach efforts. Students learn about new concepts in STEM each year, and apply these during school and in the real world. FIRST programs begin in elementary school, which gives children a head start in school with the fundamentals of STEM.
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