**FIRST EMAIL**/Exciting New Dean Kamen Award - Deadline Imminent - February 26, 2010

[Joe Ross]

Greetings Teams:

Dean Kamen wishes to honor his parents, Jack and Evelyn Kamen, with the creation of a new award to celebrate FIRST Student Superstars - the FIRST Dean’s List Award!

Details on this award will be found on the FIRST website at: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprogr...nt.aspx?id=440.

Two students will be chosen at each regional event (six students at the Michigan State Championship) based on a submitted essay to be FIRST Dean’s List Finalists. The student submittal site will open tomorrow, Tuesday 2/23 at 12:00PM EST, and close on Friday 2/26 at 4:30PM EST to allow for submission. Each team may submit two students for this award at one event at which they are participating. Only the 96 winners of the FIRST Dean’s Finalist Award are eligible for consideration in the selection of the FIRST Dean’s List Award to be presented at the FIRST Championship.

We hope you will join us in thanking Dean for making this great opportunity available in the 2010 season. Each of you now shares in the distinct honor of participating in the inaugural year of this important award. We highly encourage all teams to submit and wish all students being nominated the best of luck!

Go Teams!

[EricLeifermann]

This is an awesome award! I wish they had it when i was on a team in high school!

[sloteera]

I think that this is most valuable award of FRC!!

[sloteera]

Originally Posted by EricLeifermann

This is an awesome award! I wish they had it when i was on a team in high school!

me too

[JaneYoung]

This IS a valuable award. Too valuable to give the teams only 3 days to draft, fine tune, and submit. Too valuable to present this glorious opportunity to exhausted teams during ship time. Too valuable not to do but where is the opportunity for teams to give their very best effort? The timing is horrible and I could just cry for all of the students and mentors who are so tired right now with this brand new opportunity making itself known to all of us - with such a very short deadline.

This is a wonderful and valuable and long overdue award.

Jane

[Wildcat]

sounds like a woodie flowers award for students

[robodude03]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

This IS a valuable award. Too valuable to give the teams only 3 days to draft, fine tune, and submit. Too valuable to present this glorious opportunity to exhausted teams during ship time. Too valuable not to do but where is the opportunity for teams to give their very best effort? The timing is horrible and I could just cry for all of the students and mentors who are so tired right now with this brand new opportunity making itself known to all of us - with such a very short deadline.

This is a wonderful and valuable and long overdue award.

Jane

I have to agree with you here Jane. Many of us are burnt out from the six weeks of building and late nights, but as you mentioned this is a very valuable award. It allows teams to help recognize students for their amazing efforts thoughout the six weeks and beyond. However, the timing is a little inconvenient as we are all getting a much needed rest in the following weeks before competitions.

[Jared Russell]

The ten Students on the 2010 FIRST Dean’s List students will receive the following:

o A written recommendation from FIRST leadership to the college or employer of each student’s choice.
o A credit towards the winning student’s team following year registration fee
o An invitation to attend an expenses paid Leadership in Engineering Workshop in Manchester, NH.
o The opportunity to work with all members of the FIRST Dean's List and network with FIRST leaders to
advance FIRST.

Very cool.

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

This IS a valuable award. Too valuable to give the teams only 3 days to draft, fine tune, and submit. Too valuable to present this glorious opportunity to exhausted teams during ship time. Too valuable not to do but where is the opportunity for teams to give their very best effort? The timing is horrible and I could just cry for all of the students and mentors who are so tired right now with this brand new opportunity making itself known to all of us - with such a very short deadline.

This is a wonderful and valuable and long overdue award.

Jane

Agreed, FIRST presented this in the ranks of a WFFA and Chairman's so it is upsetting to see the time frame in which we have to work. The 4000 character limit was tough for me to write within today. Luckily, I have finished the essay for one junior who I am especially proud of.

[Monty Python]

Originally Posted by JaneYoung

This IS a valuable award. Too valuable to give the teams only 3 days to draft, fine tune, and submit. Too valuable to present this glorious opportunity to exhausted teams during ship time. Too valuable not to do but where is the opportunity for teams to give their very best effort? The timing is horrible and I could just cry for all of the students and mentors who are so tired right now with this brand new opportunity making itself known to all of us - with such a very short deadline.

This is a wonderful and valuable and long overdue award.

Jane

<rant>

I agree, and an award far too important to exclude FTC students from. Why limit a significant award given to those who embody FIRST principles (not FRC principles) from such a large component of FIRST?

And on a related tangent, same issue with the Woody Flowers Award. While I certainly don't advocate having one mentor award for FRC and FTC teams, it seems ridiculous that FIRST does not bestow some specific honor recognizing the hard work FTC mentors do to help further science and technology.

<end rant>

[Vikesrock]

So anybody can write the essays including mentors, but they have to be submitted by a student through the Awards submission system?

Makes it kind of difficult to secretly nominate the two most reliable, responsible students on a short timeframe

[Alexa Stott]

Originally Posted by Vikesrock

So anybody can write the essays including mentors, but they have to be submitted by a student through the Awards submission system?

Makes it kind of difficult to secretly nominate the two most reliable, responsible students on a short timeframe

Especially considering the types of students that take the initiative to write the awards submissions for their teams are among those that deserve it the most.

[blackbrigadeer]

Originally Posted by Alexa Stott

Especially considering the types of students that take the initiative to write the awards submissions for their teams are among those that deserve it the most.

That's what our team has had to do. :/ Only two members volunteered to write essays, so those are the two members that are being nominated.

[Trying to Help]

I'll agree with Jane on this one. It's an amazing award and we thankfully have plenty of students from which to choose.

My notes for the meeting tonight include it along with many tasks for our regional which is in 8 days. If nothing else, FIRST teaches time on task skills!

Trying to Help