FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.”
FIRST was created by Dean Kamen, “a prolific inventor, entrepreneur, and tireless advocate for science and technology.”
Mission statement: “The mission of FIRST is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting Mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.”
FIRST is a program that allows students to explore or find their passions for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) using hands-on learning with mentors. FIRST not only teaches students about building robots but also about gracious professionalism and cooperation with other teams from around the world. The FIRST robotics competition (FRC) is for high school students in grades 9 through 12, students, along with the help of mentors, build a robot in 6 weeks that meets that years game criteria. After the build season has finished, the competitions start, teams go to regional or district events where they compete alongside and against other teams in their region. The teams that win at those competitions go on to the World Championship, held in Detroit, Michigan this year, where they compete against hundreds of teams from around the world.
FIRST general information from FIRSTinspires.org
FIRST robotics Team 126 