About FIRST

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a non-profit organization founded by American inventor Dean Kamen in 1989 with the vision "to create a world where science and technology are celebrated... where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes." FIRST consists of four programs geared toward the technical education of students in 1st through 12th grades. These include:

• Junior FIRST Lego League (JFLL) -- 1st through 4th grades
• FIRST Lego League (FLL) -- 4th through 8th grades
• FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) -- 9th through 12th grades
• FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) -- 9th through 12th grades
  Each program supports competitions in which a new game is introduced each year.

The mission of FIRST is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.

Recently, Brandeis University’s Center for Youth and Communities conducted an independent, retrospective survey of FIRST Robotics Competition participants and compared results to a group of non-FIRST students with similar backgrounds and academic experiences, including math and science. Highlights of the study’s findings include:

When compared with the comparison group, FIRST students are:

• More than 3 times as likely to major specifically in engineering.
• Roughly 10 times as likely to have had an apprenticeship, internship, or co-op job in their freshman year.
• Significantly more likely to expect to achieve a post graduate degree.
• More than twice as likely to expect to pursue a career in science and technology.
• Nearly 4 times as likely to expect to pursue a career specifically in engineering.
• More than twice as likely to volunteer in their communities.

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  Many colleges and universities, professional associations, and corporations offer college scholarships to high school students on FIRST teams. This is official recognition of the knowledge and technical and life skills these students have gained from participating in a FIRST competition. FIRST scholarships enable students to pursue majors and careers in engineering, computer science, science, math, design, aeronautics, and many other fields. In 2010, the FIRST Scholarship Program provides:

  • $12.2 million in college scholarships
  • Over 746 individual scholarship opportunities
  • Over 136 Scholarship Providers

  To find out more about FIRST, please visit the FIRST web site.