Who:

FIRST^® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) launches its FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC^®) season with a Kickoff event. The 2010 season will include more than 1,800 teams (over 45,000 high-school students) participating in 50 regional and district events. All teams will be shown the 2010 game field for the first time and will receive a common Kit of Parts made up of motors, batteries, a control system, and a mix of automation components – but no instructions. They will then have six weeks to design and build robots to meet this year’s engineering challenge.

What:

Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC^®) is an annual competition that challenges high-school students – working alongside professional Mentors – to design and build a robot of their own, and compete in a ‘varsity sport for the mind’ that measures the effectiveness of each robot, the power of teamwork and collaboration, and Gracious Professionalism™. Students build and program their own robots against a field of competitors and experience the excitement of science, engineering, technology and innovation.

When:

Where:

Remote teams will tune in via NASA-TV broadcast and Web cast from 57 local Kickoffs. To locate teams in your area, visit www.usfirst.org and click on the map in the top right corner. For a listing of local Kickoff locations, visit http://www.usfirst.org/community/frc/content.aspx?id=10406 .

2010 FIRST Kickoff Event Locations:

NC, Mooresville

NH, Manchester

CA, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose

NJ, Newark, Skillman

NV, Las Vegas

NY, Brooklyn, Rochester, Stony Brook

OH, Cleveland, Columbus

OK, Stillwater

OR, Corvallis, Oregon City

PA, Drexel Hill, Pittsburgh

SC, Clemson

TN, Memphis

TX, Austin, Houston, Plano, San Antonio

UT, Salt Lake City

VA, Hampton, Richmond

WA, Cheney, Mountlake Terrace

Washington, D.C.

WI, Pewaukee

MS, Stennis Space Center