[KenWittlief]

I would replace the 'and' in that statment with 'to'

FIRST only has one purpose, not two. the knowledge we are increasing is knowledge of what a technology based career is like.

We are not teaching anyone to be mini engineers - FIRST connects the math and science you have learned in HS with the applications that it can be used for

I will tell you a secret. The technology we use on the FIRST team is scraping edge - that box of junk they give you at the kickoff, compared to what is available for commercial and military engineering projects, NONE of it would be usable - you would never see a probe landing on Mars with drill motors or Victor speed controllers

(not to take away anything from what Innovation FIRST has done - the equipement we get is excellent for educational purposes - but NASA would laugh at you if you proposed to use it on their projects)

The amount of money we spend on FIRST robots wouldnt fund any of the projects I have worked on for even one week.

FIRST is here to give students a taste of engineering and science, like the retired lady at the supermarket passing out 3 grams of cheese on a cracker

FIRST is not here to feed you, or to teach you - its here to make you hungry for more :c)

or from another perspective - FIRST is like we have traveled to the future, and we dont like what we saw when we got there. So we came back and now we are attempting to alter the future

alter YOUR future!

FIRST is a journey (or in the language of the '60's, FIRST is a trip man!) We are on an adventure traveling into the future together, changing it as we go along, one day at time.