Make sure to watch the white house science fair!

[Briansmithtown]

Here!

[OZ_341]

Originally Posted by Briansmithtown

Here!

Looks like two 2014 FRC robots to either side of the stage in the East Room.
Anyone know which FIRST Teams are at the White House?

[Steven Donow]

Originally Posted by OZ_341

Looks like two 2014 FRC robots to either side of the stage in the East Room.
Anyone know which FIRST Teams are at the White House?

From the press release:

Junior FIRST® LEGO League (Jr.FLL®) Team 248 and Girl Scout Troop 2612, “Lego Queens,” from Broken Arrow, Okla.;
FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC®) Team 27, “Team RUSH, “ from Clarkson, Mich.;
FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC®) Team 1739, “Chicago Knights,” from Chicago, Ill.;
FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC®) Team 1915, “MTHS Firebird Robotics,” from Wash. D.C.; and

Parker Owen, FIRST alum and winner of the 2013 FIRST Future Innovators Award, will also be recognized by President Obama at the White House Science Fair. Owen participated on FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC®) Team 4260 and FRC Team 3469, both named “Spanish Inquisition,” and was honored at the 2013 FIRST Championship event for his invention, the Cycle-Leg – an inexpensive prosthetic made from a single recycled bicycle.

[waialua359]

Its great that the Siemens We Can Change the World Winners were invited as well. I wish I had the chance to meet them in person, as we awarded them $50,000 in scholarships as well.

[StillDefective]

Originally Posted by Steven Donow

From the press release:

Parker Owen, FIRST alum and winner of the 2013 FIRST Future Innovators Award, will also be recognized by President Obama at the White House Science Fair. Owen participated on FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC®) Team 4260 and FRC Team 3469, both named “Spanish Inquisition,” and was honored at the 2013 FIRST Championship event for his invention, the Cycle-Leg – an inexpensive prosthetic made from a single recycled bicycle.

Nobody expects the Spanish inquisition!

[Christopher149]

FIRST, your press release has a typo: 27 is from Clarkston, not Clarkson. Having lived down there, Clarkson just sounds wrong.

Anyway, I like seeing the 120 lb ice rescue ROV, the CEOs should have seen Rebound Rumble, and I see a Vex robot with the helmet safety lady.

[Cynette]

Just curious...I know why FRC 27 was selected for the WH Science Fair. How were the other teams selected?

[orangemoore]

Originally Posted by Cynette

Just curious...I know why FRC 27 was selected for the WH Science Fair. How were the other teams selected?

Me too. I am really wondering how 1739 got invited. I have a hunch but don't think it would make sense.

[tickspe15]

Originally Posted by waialua359

Its great that the Siemens We Can Change the World Winners were invited as well. I wish I had the chance to meet them in person, as we awarded them $50,000 in scholarships as well.

Your team gave another team $50,000 in scholarships?
I knew you guys were good at fundraising, but that is a new level.

[Pendulum^-1]

Originally Posted by Cynette

Just curious...I know why FRC 27 was selected for the WH Science Fair. How were the other teams selected?

Who knows? All we know is that the three teams got invited on Thursday before the Tuesday event.* We (1915) probably got invited because we were local. Maybe demographics had something to do with it. Although we'd dearly love to have some, we certainly don't have any delusions about having earned an innumerable collection of blue banners to show at an event. We're just a run of the mill team who has shown up every year since 2006.

From what our lead mentor told me last night, there were two students, the robot, and that was it at the WH. Our robot, which was to one corner of the stage, more or less served as a prop. Which was perfectly ok with us, as two of our leading sophomore students, and potential team leaders, had the opportunity of a lifetime to go to the White House to represent not only our team, but FIRST in general. If that doesn't inspire a student, I don't know what will.

*--I say all three teams got invited on Thursday because our lead mentor talked with the other mentors at the WH, and they too got the call on Thursday. And they are in Chicago and Detroit, and had to travel to DC.

[Cynette]

Originally Posted by Pendulum^-1

...From what our lead mentor told me last night, there were two students, the robot, and that was it at the WH. Our robot, which was to one corner of the stage, more or less served as a prop. Which was perfectly ok with us, as two of our leading sophomore students, and potential team leaders, had the opportunity of a lifetime to go to the White House to represent not only our team, but FIRST in general. If that doesn't inspire a student, I don't know what will.

Well done! This definitely nails down the "I" in FIRST!

And the selection strategy for the WH Science Fair may have worked perfectly. It shows clearly that it isn't all about winning awards, blue banners and championship robots, FIRST provides the opportunity to impact any student and promote STEM wherever and whenever a team works together to meet their goals.