[patrickrd]

I was not insulted by the spelling mistake People do it all the time. I love random facts & tidbits of history. YES, anyway back to the topic on hand:

Us college students at Cornell were thinking of trying to start more than the one FIRST team (639) in the area. I think there are a number of schools in surrounding towns that would be interested in having teams. But I don't think Cornell will be willing to fund more than one (although we can try asking), so we will need to rely on NASA grants and local manufacturers and such for funding, hopefully they can find places to sponsor more long term. I'll try and encourage our college FIRST organization to get going on this... Although our hands are full right now, starting up & mentoring a new lego league team Hopefully we can get a rookie team or two to attend their first regional ever in Rochester 2005

The problem around Central New York region I think is finding companies to sponsor. I know there are enough in Ithaca (which is a city, kind of) to sponsor our team. But I'm worried that in anywhere less populated, there is not enough economy (for lack of better words) to support teams. On the other hand, I think between the school districts and small companies, it may be possible. So anyway, I will take initiative in the Ithaca / Tompkins County area to try and get more teams started. Any other volunteers from other upstate NY regions?

Another idea: Why not start a regional robotics forum for Upstate NY area? We can start off just with a ChiefDelphi forum, and then maybe it can grow enough that we can have meetings one or two times a year. This would help foster ideas on how to start teams and keep them going in low-economy areas, provide support for those struggling, etc... Let me know what you think.

Thanks,
Patrick