FIRST Selected for Google's Project 10^100

[Pat Fairbank]

From the official Google blog:

Idea: Enhance science and engineering education
Project funded: FIRST is a non-profit organization that promotes science and math education around the world through team competition. Its mission is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders by giving them real world experience working with professional engineers and scientists. We are providing $3 million to develop and jump start new student-driven robotics team fundraising programs that will empower more student teams to participate in FIRST.

[Chris is me]

$3 million for student-driven robotics team fundraising. Can't say that's not good news!

Any idea if this is "just" "a check to FIRST" or if this is specifically set up to help teams fundraise?

[AdamHeard]

I'm very glad this is going to teams, and not FIRST itself.

Our team isn't struggling financially by any means, but we've certainly noticed it's harder to fundraise recently.

[RoboMom]

Yay for teaching how to fish!

[jason_zielke]

It seems that I recall someone (possibly Dean) mentioning FIRST was working on a fundraising program to role out to teams much like other international organizations have (e.g. cookies and girl scouts).

I wonder if this is the funding to starting that program . . .

[fixermark]

I just saw this come across my internal e-mail feed. The first thing I did was pull up Team 422's webpage and look at the old picture of Peacemaker. It's the last robot that had my name signed to it. It was built in 2001.

I couldn't be happier about this news.

-Mark Tomczak
Google Pittsburgh

(disclaimer: I had zero hand in the decision. I'm just extremely happy it was made!)

[rsisk]

Does anyone have any ideas about how this program is going to work? How is FIRST going to use the money?

[BrendanB]

Originally Posted by jason_zielke

It seems that I recall someone (possibly Dean) mentioning FIRST was working on a fundraising program to role out to teams much like other international organizations have (e.g. cookies and girl scouts).

I wonder if this is the funding to starting that program . . .

At the North Carolina Regional this past year Dean introduced the CEO's of a company that produces florescent light bulbs but they are brighter and use even less energy than other florescents. He mentioned that they plan to partner with the company (it is slipping my mind it has been 6 months) and have teams sell them just like girl scout cookies to consumers but I haven't heard anything about it since NC.

[Bjenks548]

I know that this was taken from suggestions sent to google, I was wondering if anyone knows people who submitted an essay for FIRST.

[Mike o.]

Originally Posted by BrendanB

At the North Carolina Regional this past year Dean introduced the CEO's of a company that produces florescent light bulbs but they are brighter and use even less energy than other florescents. He mentioned that they plan to partner with the company (it is slipping my mind it has been 6 months) and have teams sell them just like girl scout cookies to consumers but I haven't heard anything about it since NC.

I believe that the company was Cree and it was an LED light bulb. Like you said, it has been a good time since the regional, but I believe that was the company Dean had there with him to unveil this new venture that he is trying to start up.

[AdamHeard]

This is a somewhat extreme idea, but it would certainly shape FIRST in great ways.

If you divvy up 3 million among any significant number of teams, it's not an amount that will change teams for years to come.

I think if google set aside the money to pay 100 engineers a year, for the 6 week build (and maybe through regionals), a rather decent wage, they'd have enough money for 2-3 seasons.

I'm tired of walking down pit row and seeing too many teams that clearly had no real technical mentor ship, and despite the best efforts of their students, there was just no overcoming that hurdle.