Issues with BAE Sponsorhip

[Nathan Pell]

Thank you everyone for all the replies - this helps a lot. Our BAE sponsor is part of the Geophysics group. They have a new VP and President and that is where things seem to be held up.

Best regards,
Nathan Pell

[ebarker]

Anytime there is a change in top leadership there is often an accompanying delay in continuing support of programs like this, and many other things.

The new leader is usually assessing all the places that money leaves the building and is performing due diligence in the re-evaluation. Ditto for everything else that happens in the company.

A request - all BAE teams should let Ms. Hudson know how important the sponsorship is to you, your school, your country. Send her a personal thank you note.

A few months ago a delegation from our team went to Washington and gave a Congressional Briefing on the importance of FIRST type things to national security and other things.

Yesterday a news article hit the AP about the relationship between the education system and military recruiting. And about the failure of NCLB to improve ASVAB scores.

This morning NY Times columnist, (and Pulitzer Prize winning author) Thomas Friedman was being interviewed on the Imus in the Morning Show. He was talking about a new book he is writing. In the discussion he said that the hottest beat a new journalist could cover in Washington during the 1980's was the State Department / Foreign Affairs.

Agree with him or not, he asserts that today the hottest beat in Washington is covering Education. It is because of the critical necessity in providing a great education to students so that we can remain competitive economically, militarily, and otherwise in in a global economy.

In the upcoming 112th Congress there will be a move to re-examine the Federal Budget. Two things that were identified was 200+ job re-education programs and 100+ STEM education initiative programs. Questioning this is perfectly valid. Why so many programs, and which ones are providing value to the country ?

Make sure that your politicians and your sponsors know that FIRST and VEX type programs are valuable to this country.

[Jimmy Nichols]

In the fall we had to re-apply for Sponsorhip from BAE. We were accepted making this the 3rd year they have sponsored us. Then after a couple months I received an email stating that there was a delay in getting the checks sent to FIRST, but not to worry and the funds would be sent soon. No word since and our Regional is still listed as unpaid.

[Nathan Pell]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Nichols

In the fall we had to re-apply for Sponsorhip from BAE. We were accepted making this the 3rd year they have sponsored us. Then after a couple months I received an email stating that there was a delay in getting the checks sent to FIRST, but not to worry and the funds would be sent soon. No word since and our Regional is still listed as unpaid.

Hi, how/what is the process in which you applied? We were sponsored because the director of our local BAE office heard about FIRST and wanted to sponsor us. He even remarked how easy it was to get the approval last year. This year, it is a completely different story and he has pretty much been told to forget about it.

Maybe different locations of BAE have different procedures in picking the teams they work with?

We are the ONLY team in Brevard County, FL that does not have a corporate sponsor. This is not due to a lazy effort, but mostly because every high school in the county has a team - thus there aren't many companies left to reach out to. We aren't giving up - just trying to get our bearings.

Thanks!

[ebarker]

Apologies to everyone. I was trying to make a serious point and made a stunningly bad typo. No humor intended.

So yeah... always proofread your writings. Otherwise you wind up looking like a goofball.

Ed

[Jimmy Nichols]

As Doug posted in his response, my local contact sent us an application with no guarantees. The person also stated that their division was going to sponsored 6 or so teams in the various locations that they are in. We were one of the fortunate teams.

I'm not sure why your contact would have written it off. Sounds like you should contact Doug Coffey about that.

Originally Posted by Nathan Pell

Hi, how/what is the process in which you applied? We were sponsored because the director of our local BAE office heard about FIRST and wanted to sponsor us. He even remarked how easy it was to get the approval last year. This year, it is a completely different story and he has pretty much been told to forget about it.

Maybe different locations of BAE have different procedures in picking the teams they work with?

We are the ONLY team in Brevard County, FL that does not have a corporate sponsor. This is not due to a lazy effort, but mostly because every high school in the county has a team - thus there aren't many companies left to reach out to. We aren't giving up - just trying to get our bearings.

Thanks!

[Mark McLeod]

BAE has an enormous FRC impact. I count 204 individual FRC teams listing BAE as a team sponsor. That's almost 10% of all teams. My team is among those sponsored and we thank you.

In addition, BAE sponsors many FRC events, both Championship and Regionals. The most obvious being the BAE Granite State Region in the home of FIRST, Manchester, NH.

Thanks BAE!

[dag0620]

Originally Posted by ebarker

A few months ago a delegation from our team went to Washington and gave a Congressional Briefing on the unimportance of FIRST type things to national security and other things.

Yesterday a news article hit the AP about the relationship between the education system and military recruiting. And about the failure of NCLB to improve ASVAB scores.
.

Not Trying to totally change the thread, but I don't understand why you would be trying to prove the unimportance of First to Nat. Security (or why it would affect it either way at all)?

[gvarndell]

Originally Posted by dag0620

I don't understand why you would be trying to prove the unimportance of First to Nat. Security?

Nor do I. Let's hope they didn't make a compelling case.

[DonRotolo]

Maybe a typo?

[gvarndell]

Originally Posted by Don Rotolo

Maybe a typo?

I have little doubt that's the case -- couldn't pass up the humor opportunity though.
Ed was extraordinarily gracious and kind to my young son last year at CMP.
He has, and rightfully deserves, my respect and gratitude.

[ebarker]

Originally Posted by dag0620

(or why it would affect it either way at all)?

Hi Dave,

That is a great question and it deserves a serious answer. Most people think the military is just a bunch of soldiers but it is much more than that. And it takes some of the best engineering around.

There is so much stuff that goes on I can hardly describe it. You are probably using a computer that is using a wi-fi connection. That stuff was developed for the military and until 20 years ago was top secret. Other things like GPS, jet propulsion, integrated circuits came out of military research also.

The military uses robots by the hundreds, I guess thousands now. High advanced radio communication systems, leading to things like your cellphone, hdtv, and many more things. The Air Force is looking to replace combat flights with robotic controlled flights.

Cryptography, electronic intelligence gathering, material science, and the list goes on and on. It takes tens of thousands of highly skilled engineers employed by the military as officers, civilians, and civilian contractors to keep our troops up to date with the tools they need.

If you are feeling really ambitious go read this

It was my first job out of college. I didn't even know it existed but it turned out the be the best engineering experience I ever had.

Ed