What is FIRST?

Founded in 1989, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology) prides itself on its leadership in the scientific arena and its commitment to build a strong foundation for the country's future workforce. Founder Dean Kamen, the recipient of the 2000 National Medal of Technology, has "awakened the innovative and imaginative leadership in America's youth to the excitement of science and technology." FIRST has competitions for several different age groups, starting from JFLL (Junior FIRST LEGO League) for elementary schoolers, FLL (FIRST LEGO League) for middle schoolers, all the way up to FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition) and FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) for high schoolers.

One of FIRST's main activities is promoting scientific innovation through the annual FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), designed to immerse high school students in real-life engineering, as well as the spirit of "Gracious Professionalism" to others. FIRST has experienced exponential growth since its creation, and amazing success, as indicated by the hundreds of colleges offering scholarships to team members and the dozens of media networks that publicize the organization and its achievements.

Each year FIRST develops the competition by supplying an objective to teams of students, who have six weeks to conceptualize, design, build, and test their robotic solution. Each year the objective is different; details are kept secret until early January, when it is simultaneously revealed to all teams during the Kick-Off.

Once the six weeks have passed, robots are transported to the competition site where teams will compete in March. Teams go head-to-head in a series of two-minute qualification and elimination rounds during a three-day competition. This format requires that teams strategize and build into their design both offensive and defensive capabilities. The robot that scores the most points during the two minutes wins each round, and the one that earns the most points in these rounds is declared champion.