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For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology

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Combining the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. We call FIRST Robotics Competition the ultimate Sport for the Mind. High-school student participants call it “the hardest fun you’ll ever have.”

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a robotics community that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18 (PreK-12) that can be facilitated in school or in structured afterschool programs. Boosted by a global support system of volunteers, educators, and sponsors that include over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies, teams operate under a signature set of FIRST Core Values to conduct research, fundraise, design, build, and showcase their achievements during annual challenges.

An international not-for-profit organization (501(c)(3)) founded by accomplished inventor Dean Kamen in 1989, FIRST has a proven impact on STEM learning, interest, and skill-building well beyond high school. Alumni of FIRST programs gain access to exclusive scholarships, internships, and other opportunities that create connections and open pathways to a wide variety of careers.

Team 581 has participated in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) since 2001. FRC, challenges high school students to work alongside industry professionals to design, fabricate, build, program, and compete with 4ft tall, 150lb robots. In addition to engineering, students learn leadership, marketing, communication, and time management skills. Over three thousand teams compete in their regions each Spring, culminating in a World Championship at the end of each April. FRC isn’t something you do, it’s something you are, and students on Team 581 Blazing Bulldogs learn this first hand.

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