FIRST
FIRST stands for: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.
FIRST is an organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen in 1989 as a way of getting students involved in and excited about science and technology.
Mission & Vision
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[1]
Mission
Our mission 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.[2]
Programs
FIRST has many levels of programs to achieve their vision and mission. The programs are mostly similar; providing a challenge with a set of rules, a deadline, and a competition to compete and celebrate the teams achievements. The different levels of the programs very from complexity, to technical difficulty.
As of 2011, FIRST includes:
International
FIRST is an international organization that currently has teams from Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
However, only Brazil, Canada, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States have FRC teams.