U.S. FIRST National Robotic Competition

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9554532 Kamen U.S. FIRST is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create a demand for science and mathematics learning among today's students. Creating this demand requires a change in attitudes and preconceptions that had been turning American students away from technology. The Robotic Competition is one way we are currently accomplishing this goal on a national level. The model for this competition is based on a course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where engineering students are challenged to create a product under time contraints in an interclass competition. The U.S. FIRST National Robotic Competition extends this idea by involving partnerships between high schools, universities and the corporate engineering world. In seven weeks, teams of engineers, teachers and students work together to design and build radio-controlled devices from a standard kit of parts provided by U.S. FIRST. Teams then compete against each other in matches in regional and national tournaments. The machines must be operated by two students, accompanied by two coaches -- other students, teachers or engineers. The National Champion is the winner of the national tournament. By providing real-life role models for students and by using the same techniques used by large consumer product companies, students become motivated and begin to see science as fun, prestigious and professionally rewarding. ***