(BUSINESS WIRE) — August 10, 2011 — FIRST:
Photo by Adriana M. Groisman, courtesy of FIRST. will.i.am, frontman for The Black Eyed Peas, built a robot and competed in the recent 2011 FIRST Championship in St. Louis, Mo., with FIRST Tech Challenge Team, "Phoenxtrix," of Folsom, Calif. will.i.am captured his robotics experience with FIRST and created a back-to-school special, "i.am FIRST - Science is Rock and Roll," which debuts on The ABC Television Network on August 14, 7 PM EDT (Check local listings).
| WHAT: |
Renowned inventor/ FIRST founder Dean Kamen and The Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am team up for “ i.am.FIRST- Science is Rock and Roll,” a groundbreaking science and technology entertainment celebration that highlights the 20th annual FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Championship |
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| WHEN: |
Sunday, August 14, 2011 |
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7:00-8:00 p.m. ET/6:00 – 7:00p.m. CT |
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| ABC Television Network | ||
| WHO: | The star-studded special features live performances by The Black Eyed Peas and Willow Smith, along with celebrities including Justin Bieber, Steven Tyler, Bono, Jack Black, Miley Cyrus and Josh Duhamel speaking out in support of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education. Student teams are profiled as their robots compete to win coveted FIRST Championship awards. | |
| WHY: |
The back-to-school special was created and shot during the FIRST Championship 2011 including 30,000 students, fans, families, educators, and industry leaders who came together in St. Louis, Mo., to celebrate the engineering prowess of talented students from around the world. More than 600 teams from 29 countries competed in the three levels of FIRST: FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL®, grades 4 to 8, nine to 14-year-olds in the U.S. and Canada; nine to 16-year-olds outside the U.S. and Canada); FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC®, grades 9 to 12, 14 to 18-year-olds); and FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC®, grades 9 to 12, ages 14-18). i.am.FIRST- Science is Rock and Roll documents the country’s best and brightest students in the FIRST Regional Competitions leading up to the international FIRST Championship. |
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About Dean Kamen and FIRST
Dean Kamen founded FIRST® in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge and life skills while motivating young people to pursue STEM. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org.
About will.i.am
will.i.am is best known as the frontman and producer of the multi-platinum award-winning group, The Black Eyed Peas. As a musician, producer, and director, will.i.am is an enthusiastic user of technologies.
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