FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a multinational non-profit organization, that aspires to transform culture, making science, math, engineering, and technology as cool for kids as sports are today.
FIRST was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway Human Transporter. FIRST operates the FIRST Robotics Competition in which teams of high school students and their mentors design, assemble, and test a robot capable of performing a specified task in competition with other teams. Other programs that FIRST also runs is the FIRST LEGO™ League, for children 9-14 years old, and FIRST Place, an innovative and creative learning and development program that explores science and math and offers a wide variety of hands-on children's programs. For additional programs, click here.
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FIRST was founded on partnerships with businesses, educational institutions and government. Many Fortune 500 companies provide funding, in-kind donations and volunteers to support the program.
The key to FIRST's success is the work of over 45,000 volunteer mentors, professional engineers, teachers, and other adults working with students across the country. In addition to the thousands of volunteer team mentors, FIRST competitions and other events were organized and staffed by over 15,000 event and committee volunteers. Through these volunteers, FIRST programs engaged over 70,000 young people during the last year. FIRST programs are growing rapidly in the United States and Canada, and demand is accelerating in other countries.
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