“If you create an environment in which the right stuff is celebrated, incredible things can happen.” Woodie Flowers, MIT Professor and FIRST National Advisor Mind Sports: Academic Competition Presented by Kurt Twining Adam Truex Russell Middle School Trailblazer Schools to Watch Conference 2009

 After school club directed at getting minority students involved in academics  Concentrate on getting ANY students excited about these subjects Math, Engineering, Science Achievement Club

Competitions  LEGO Light Bulb Drop  Bridge Building  Boat Regatta  Trebuchet  MESA Middle School Day Math, Engineering, Science Achievement Club

 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit public charity  Founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen (SegWay)  Headquarters in Manchester, NH  Started with just high school program  Added middle and elementary school element in 1998 For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology What is FIRST?

“… to create a world where science and technology are celebrated… …where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes…” Dean Kamen, Founder of FIRST FIRST - Philosophy

K Grade Level FIRST Programs FIRST LEGO LeagueFIRST Tech Challenge FIRST Robotics Competition Jr. FIRST LEGO League

Source: FLL Program Study by Center for Youth and Communities, Brandeis University, May 2004 FLL Impact (Student Perspective) Increased knowledge of: 95% 93% 0%20%40%60%80%100% Use of school subjects in solving real-world problems Importance of science and technology in everyday life 90% Science and technology careers 97% Use of science and technology in real-world problem-solving In the 2004 evaluation of FLL, Brandeis University found:

FIRST Impact  50% more likely to attend college  Twice as likely to go on and major in science or engineering  3 TIMES as likely to major specifically in engineering  More than twice as likely to volunteer in their communities  Upon entering collge they are:  Twice as likely to to have an internship with a company  Four times as likely to expect to pursue a career in engineering Students involved with FIRST are:

FLL SEASON May – September On-line registration Mid-September Challenge is revealed October – November Building season November – January Tournament season April World Festival COSTS New Robot Kit - $395 Team registration - $200 Field Kit - $65 T-Shirts - $100-$200 Tournament Registration - $50 per tournament Needs and Expenses Season Timeline

-Up to 10 children, ages 9 to 14, and at least one adult coach ORGANIZATIONS -Any group can create a team: schools, community groups, churches, neighborhoods FUNDING -Important to find funding for the team. -Grants (UCCS PIPES program) -Sponsorships Organizing a Team “I want to build things nobody else has even though of yet.” Charles Peterson, FLL Team Member (10 years old)

Making the Team Successful  RECRUITMENT just like sports teams, in order to have a successful team, you need successful players  APPLICATION students have to go through try-out process to make the team  PRACTICES essential to success of academic competition team, without commitment there is no victory

Sample Practice  Mission anaylsis  Simple programming  Research climate connections “FLL taught me patience and that I could learn more than I ever thought I could. Oh yeah, and it was fun all at the same time.” Andre Bauman, FLL Participant Contact Information: Kurt Twining Adam Truex