**FIRST EMAIL**/What have you done in the name of innovation?

[Mark McLeod]

Greetings Teams:

FIRST® wants to know: What have you done in the name of innovation?

in·no·va·tion noun: the introduction of something new; a new idea, method, or device: novelty.

Do you have an insatiable appetite for innovation? Innovation can take many forms, and we would like our FIRST team members to share their most creative solutions with us! These stories do not necessarily have to be related to your FIRST experience—we want to hear all about your inno-ventures; from the super successful, to the faulty flops and everything in between!

Kamen’s conundrum FIRST founder and renowned inventor, Dean Kamen subscribes to the philosophy that anything is possible. He is not one to let anything stand in his way, and has often gone to extreme measures to follow through with his ideas. While studying at WPI, Kamen made frequent trips home to work on what is now known as the AutoSyringe. The basement of his parents’ home was getting crowded, and the claustrophobic environment was interfering with his project. Rather than let issues such as space get in the way of innovation, Kamen simply hired a crew to prop the house up on stilts to expand the basement under a newer wing of the house. You may be wondering what his parents thought of this whole ordeal—well, Kamen sent them on a cruise during the period of heaviest construction!

Silly? Savvy? Spill it! Have you ever done anything as extreme (or not) as Dean Kamen’s house-raising stunt in an effort to bring your idea to life? Your submissions may be featured in the FIRST Newsletter or in other capacities in the coming months.

Join the Innovation Conversation! Share your stories with us at frcteams@usfirst.org by Friday, July 1.

**Please pass this along to all of your student team members!**

Go Teams!