About FIRST
FIRST® is a global robotics organization which prepares students to become future leaders in science and technology. The acronym FIRST stands for “For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology”. Through various competitions including FIRST Lego League, FIRST Tech Challenge, and FIRST Robotics Competition, students of all grades K-12 have an opportunity to work with skilled adult mentors in a fast-paced, collaborative environment trying to solve real world challenges through building robots. FIRST’s mission is to inspire innovation and foster well-rounded, self-confident student-leaders.
Although all FIRST competitions involve building robots, the organization is primarily about promoting science and technology amongst students and the community at large. FIRST was started by Dean Kamen, an entrepreneur and engineer, because he wanted to create a pipeline of future STEM leaders through the hands-on challenge of robot building. FIRST teams try to live up to this vision by having strong outreach and community service programs in addition to building robots. Promoting the joy and excitement that science brings is just as important as building the robot itself. Click here to learn more about the FIRST organization.
