CT FIRST Press Release: CT Regional
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts
Kristin Horn
CT FIRST Marketing & Communications
khorn@ctfirst.org
Laura Soll
Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau
860.688.4499
Sue Glasspiegel
FIRST Regional Director
sglasspiegel@usfirst.org
STUDENTS FROM TWO CONTINENTS TO COMPETE IN
LARGEST FIRST ROBOTICS COMPETITION IN NEW ENGLAND
HARTFORD, CONN. (FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE) – The largest FIRST Regional Robotics Competition in New England will be held Friday, April 2 and Saturday, April 3 at the Connecticut Convention Center, 100 Columbus Blvd., in Hartford, CT. This year, a team from Brazil, South America will be traveling to Hartford to compete with teams from six area states. The competition will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days. The Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional includes 55 teams of students, teachers, and mentors. The competition has been held for the past five years at the Connecticut Convention Center, every year since the facility opened. Admission to the FIRST Regional is free and open to the public.
“FIRST is about giving kids the opportunity to build skill sets like analytical thinking to then develop what they may or may not use to build a robot; but they might use these skills to become a scientist, engineer, or inventor,” said Dean Kamen, FIRST Founder, as he explained how what students learn from FIRST is very different from other sports. “Ten years from today, one of these students is going to be out in the world having done something extraordinary for a major, global problem.”
Working with adult Mentors, FRC teams determine a strategy and have six weeks to program, build, and test their robots to meet the season’s engineering challenge, which they are given in January. Teams were shown the game field and received a Kit of Parts made up of motors, batteries, a control system, a computer, and a mix of automation components – but no instructions. Once these young inventors create a robot, their teams participate in competitions that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration, and the determination of students.
In this year’s game “BREAKAWAY,” two alliances of three teams compete on a 27-by-54-foot playing field with bumps, attempting to earn points by collecting soccer balls in goals. Additional bonus points are earned for each robot and suspended in air and not touching the field at the end of the match. During the competition, teams of students will compete for honors and recognition that reward design excellence, competitive play, sportsmanship, and outreach toward schools, area businesses, and communities. The winners of the Regional will advance to the FIRST Championship Event, which is held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA on April 15th -17th.
Beginning this year, Northeast Utilities has made a commitment to serve as the event's title sponsor through 2012. “Northeast Utilities is proud to devote its name and resources to support the Connecticut FIRST Regional competition and its mission to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology,” said Pat McCullough, president and executive director of the Northeast Utilities Foundation. “We hope our support helps grow the event and the next generation of adults pursuing careers grounded in science, technology, engineering and math."
“The FIRST program assists the students in developing skills that will apply in the work environment,” stated event chairman Michael Sperber, a program manager at Hamilton Sundstrand. “Students have the opportunity within their teams to work with professional engineers and learn various skills such as engineering, design, communication, finance, and project management. The program provides an excellent training ground for tomorrow’s technically literate workforce. It also provides networking opportunities for the students with future employers.” Research has shown that FIRST participants are more likely to attend college and four times more likely to pursue a career in engineering than a comparison group of high school students with similar backgrounds.
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, New Hampshire, 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. With the support of many of the world’s most well-known companies, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) and FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) for high-school students, FIRST LEGO® League (FLL) for children 9-14 years old, and Junior FIRST LEGO® League (Jr.FLL) for 6 to 9 year-olds.
The Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional is the oldest and longest continually running FIRST event in New England. It is organized by volunteers from some of the most highly regarded organizations in the area, including The Northeast Utilities Foundation, United Technologies Corporation, and the Aetna Foundation, who also provide major funding. The Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional also receives generous contributions from Stanley Works, ING, Ensign-Bickford, General Dynamics/Electric Boat, as well as support from the Connecticut Science Center, the MetroHartford Alliance, the Connecticut Technology Council, the Connecticut Association of Schools, and the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. These organizations provide valuable resources including time and talent from professional mentors, services, equipment, financial contributions, and volunteers.
Organizers have been working with the Connecticut Convention Center and the Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau on details for the past year. Those who attend the Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional Competition will be offered 20 percent discount admission passes to the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford, CT.
This event will be broadcast live through a webcast. For additional information about the FIRST Connecticut Regional Competition and the webcast, visit http://www.ctfirst.org/frc/. Additional information about the FIRST robotics program can be found by visiting www.usfirst.org.
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CT FIRST is Connecticut’s planning and operating organization for FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology).
