FIRST Technology Challenge

Café Bot’s International Friendships Over the Years  By Brandon Sanders, Cafe Bots Member, FIRST Tech Challenge Team #4982 One of our very favorite things about our participation in the FIRST program has been the opportunities we’ve had to meet, connect and develop friendships with various FIRST teams from all around the globe.    For us, the International Exchange program began years ago.   In 2012, we asked our local Missouri partner if we could host an international FIRST Tech Challenge team that was visiting during the 2012 FIRST World Championship – our request was met with enthusiasm, and we were connected with Team Expedio from Singapore.   We would go on to develop a very strong and enduring friendship. We started out with an awkward first Skype three weeks before they were due to arrive in America; I was admittedly quite shy at the time.   We exchanged our names, our interests and, of course, our robots.  Things became less awkward as we got more comfortable with each ot

Gear Up With FTC! The Inaugural FIRST Tech Challenge Virtual Summer Conference It’s time, FIRST Tech Challenge mentors, coaches, and teams. It is time to think beyond the robot to the bigger picture. It is time to connect with experts and teams from around the world. It is time to take your skills to the next level. That can only mean one thing. It is time for an FTC community-wide virtual conference. Introducing – drum roll, please – Gear Up With FTC! We are so excited to announce the line up for our first annual virtual conference. Below you will find the name of each session and the session presenters. For more the virtual conference schedule and session descriptions check out the Gear Up with FTC! webpage . WEDNESDAY, JULY 23 from 3-8pm EST Why PTC Supports FTC Teams and FIRST Kari Karwedsky, Global K12 Academic Sr. Program Manager , PTC Team Organization and International Connections The Bears, Mexico Practical Implementation of a Communication Link via HiTechnic SuperPro P

FIRST ® is excited to announce a 2014-2015 FIRST Tech Challenge Rookie Grant! FIRST Tech Challenge is a dynamic team Sport for the Mind™. Students master STEM skills in a robotics competition environment where they develop a strategy and build robots based on sound engineering principles. These robots compete in a specific set of game challenges that apply to real world problems. Students ages 12-18 learn valuable life skills, expand and grow as students in STEM, and qualify for over 13.5 million dollars in scholarships. For your chance to compete in our 2014-2015 season, register here . If you have never participated in FTC before, you are eligible for the FIRST Tech Challenge Rookie Team Grant to help cover the costs of starting a team. Please note that funding is limited and all grants are awarded through a need-based application process. Click here to apply!

In rural communities across the country, the access students have to top-notch science, technology, engineering and math is greatly lacking. According to the National Science Foundation, the average number of both math and science courses available to high-poverty and rural schools is about half that available at urban, suburban and low-poverty schools.  To fill this need, more and more parents, educators, and community organizations are turning to the FIRST  Tech Challenge to give their students a high-quality, hands-on, STEM experience. Rural Garner, Iowa, population 3,000, is no exception to towns struggling to provide quality STEM education to their students. While the high school there does offer some science and math courses, they, like courses in so many rural schools, are limited in scope and advanced placement classes are few and far between. Andrew, a freshman there, first discovered his passion for engineering in fourth grade, when he was invited to participate on the town&