**FIRST EMAIL**/ Sixth Annual FIRST Robotics Conference Passes Now Available!

[Mark McLeod]

Greetings Teams:

The sixth annual FIRST Robotics Conference, sponsored by Rolls-Royce and WPI, will take place April 15-16, 2009 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta in conjunction with the FIRST Championship. Individual and group passes will be available for purchase from now until April 1st.

The FIRST Robotics Conference is designed for current and potential members of the FIRST Community, as well as those interested in FIRST topics, to learn more about a wide variety of technical and non-technical topics associated with FIRST, technology, engineering, outreach, education, and much more. A diverse group of speakers are lined up to share their knowledge and expertise with attendees. Anyone and everyone is welcome to attend; we really hope you’ll join us!

This year’s Conference will begin on Wednesday afternoon at 4:30PM and will run all day Thursday (8AM-8PM). It will include over 35 different presentations, on topics of interest for all programs, including:


* Chairman's Award Chat - Talk with Championship Chairman's Award Teams, MOE 365 and other Chairman’s Award Winning Teams
* Agile Design for FIRST Robotics, Greg Marra and Tom Bottiglieri
* Advanced Building Tips for FTC

* The Pragmatic Use of Variables in FLL, Randy Miller
* Applying the Engineering Design Process to Competition Robot Design, JVN
* The Procedure for Incorporating as a Non-Profit Organization, Vicky Davis and Sandy Campbell
* So You’re Graduating from FIRST – What'’s Next?, Nate Edwards and Lisa Perez
* Video journaling in robotics: How to tell YOUR FIRST story, Dee and Randy Weber


For the full list of currently available abstracts, go to: http://usfirst.org/uploadedFiles/Com..._Abstracts.pdf

A full schedule with session times will be available very soon.

Advanced registration prices are as follows:


* *Single Session Pass* - $10 - This will allow any individual to attend any one 45-minute Conference session;
* *Individual All Access* Pass - $35 - This will allow the person with the pass to attend as many of the 45-minute Conference sessions as they choose. This pass may be shared among individuals but cannot be used by more than one individual at any given session time;
* *Team of 5 All Access Pass* - $140 - This a bundle of 5 of the Individual All Access passes.


*Credit card payment is preferred, but Checks and POs are accepted. A limited number of passes will be available at the door for an increased fee. Please visit the 2009 Conferences page for links to purchase, pricing, and other important information (http://usfirst.org/community/firstpl....aspx?id=11300

Questions? Send an email to firstconferences@usfirst.org.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2009 FIRST Robotics Conference!

Go Teams!

[JaneYoung]

All,

The deadline for the advance registration passes has been extended to April 8. There are some incredible opportunities here. If you look at the schedule of the sessions and read the abstracts, you will find a very high caliber of presentations and presenters.

Teams get very busy with the competition aspects of the Championship, this is true, but the opportunity to sit in on one of these sessions and learn from the best is no small thing.

Our numbers for registration are down this year, which could impact next year and the years following. These talented, knowledgeable, and skilled presenters are taking time away from their teams and professional lives to participate and if the number of attendees is low, it could impact their decision to participate again. This would be a great loss to the teams and the Championship.

Please take the time to read the abstracts and sign up for one or more of the presentations at this year’s conference. You will be glad you did. And please help us spread the word.

Thank you,
Jane Young
Member, 2009 FIRST Robotics Conference Selection Committee