Annual Impact Report, Innovation Challenge, Tablet-transporting robots

Read in browser | View past issues


	2020 FIRST^® Annual Impact Report now available
	The 2020 FIRST^® Annual Impact Report highlights progress from our 2019-2020 season, FIRST^® RISE^SM powered by Star Wars: Force for Change, and the perseverance of the FIRST community to drive our mission forward. Though the competition season was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s so much to celebrate: We impacted more young people with FIRST programs than ever before. Through global reach, unparalleled longitudinal data, and powerful impact stories, “Together, we RISE” shows how FIRST inspires young people to reach new heights and build a better future.


	FIRST and Qualcomm collaborate on challenge
	We’re building on our longstanding strategic partnership with Qualcomm Incorporated to extend innovation programming through FIRST, preparing the next generation of problem solvers by ensuring all young people have a pathway to innovation. Through the FIRST^® Innovation Challenge presented by Qualcomm, FIRST^® Tech Challenge and FIRST^® Robotics Competition teams will have the opportunity to explore what it means to be an innovator.


	Save the Kickoff date: January 9, 2021
	Join the FIRST community as we kickoff and celebrate the 2021 season of FIRST Robotics Competition on January 9, 2021 at 12 p.m. ET on FIRSTtv, part of the FIRST^® GAME CHANGERS^SM powered by Star Wars: Force for Change season. Dean Kamen, Larry Cohen, FIRST alumni, and other special guests will help us reveal the FIRST Innovation Challenge presented by Qualcomm, the Game Design Challenge, INFINITE RECHARGE^SM at Home, and other game and season details. Sign up now to receive a tune in reminder so you don’t miss a minute of the action.


	New training: Remote Mentoring with FIRST
	We’re all learning new ways to connect and collaborate. The Remote Mentoring with FIRST training tool helps mentors and coaches adapt to new meeting styles by providing helpful refreshers, resources for further support through remote communications, and an opportunity to learn or practice skills around building a sense of community and providing safe and inclusive environments. Take this 10-minute, interactive training, and, if you don’t have a team, sign up to mentor teams remotely in the new year on the FIRST Mentor Network sponsored by NI.


	FIRST team’s robot helps patients stay connected
	Students from FIRST Robotics Competition Team 95 “The Grasshoppers” of the Hartford Area Career & Technology Center have been using their coding skills for good during the COVID-19 pandemic by creating iPad-transferring robots. The team's creation, which went through several prototypes, has been game-changing for patients at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center who are now able to safely stay connected to their care team and loved ones. Read more about the team's impact in the Union Leader, and share your #FIRSTGAMECHANGERS stories with us on social media.


	Give to help FIRST persevere into 2021 and beyond
	Encouraged by the culture of  FIRST, and despite the impacts of COVID-19 on their schools and communities, the students of FIRST are persevering, taking what they know and what they’re capable of to make their community a better place. Now, we need your help to ensure FIRST programs remain ready to meet students wherever they are. Can you donate to help us overcome our financial challenges and persevere as one game-changing community?

www.firstinspires.org

OUR VISION: “...to transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders.”
— Dean Kamen, Founder