FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a program created by Dean Kamen to inspire students to become involved and interested in science and engineering. Participants are given the opportunity to work with professionals and learn skills commonly used in business, such as programming and design. FIRST also gives out millions of dollars in scholarships to students each year for both engineering and non-engineering related fields. In the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), students learn how to design and build a robot to play a game that is specific to each year.
In addition to engineering skills, FIRST gives participants important life skills such as organization, teamwork, and leadership skills. Students who have been in FIRST are more than twice as likely to expect to pursue a career in science and technology and are more than twice as likely to volunteer in their communities. They are also significantly more likely to achieve a post-graduate degree.
In addition to FRC, there are FIRST programs for all ages, including the FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Lego League. If you are interested in FIRST, contact a FIRST team in your area or call up a group of friends and start your own team! You can learn more about FIRST at the FIRST website at usfirst.org.