 FIRST
(For Inspiration
and Recognition of Science
and Technology) was founded in 1992 by Dean
Kamen as a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness in high
schools about science, technology, teamwork, and the "real world"-but in a fun
way.
Students
from the local high school team up with a community business to build a robot.
Robots must perform specific activities in a competitive environment, called
the playing field. Students are limited by budget and materials to make for an
even competition among all. Three team's robots compete simultaneously,
operated by a student. The robots duke it out on the field, using both
offensive scoring moves and defensive preventative moves against the opposing
teams. The object is to get your team's balls into the goal. At the end of the
match, the highest score wins.
Originally called U.S. First, the program has grown internationally, with
competitors no longer just from the United States, which led to its recent name
change. In 1992, 28 teams competed. In 2005 the competition will reach more
than 36,000 high school aged young people on close to 1000 teams from Brazil,
Canada, Ecuador, Israel, Mexico, the U.K., and almost every U.S. state. The
FIRST championship competition takes place at the Georgia Dome, in Atlanta,
Georgia, USA.
Accomplishments
The Clinton High School/Nypro FIRST team has competed since the program's
inception in 1992. The Gael Force Team's enthusiasm and dedication has always
served them well. In the past seven years, these students have already
accumulated an impressive list of achievements. |
