The Difference with FIRST

Kick off was a week ago and our team is making good progress. We didn't meet today, so I have nothing new to report, but there is something that was mentioned at kick off that I'd like to write about today.

FIRST Robotics Competition sets itself apart from other science competitions in one fundamental way. There are lots of science competitions and there are even many different types of competitive robotics competitions for students to get involved in. All of these other competitions or contests give the students some parts, a complicated problem to solve and lets them apply what they've learned to solve the problem with the things they are given. This tests the students knowledge of what they've learned and how they work through problems with the knowledge they have.

FIRST is different. FIRST gives the students some parts and again a complicated problem. But the thing that makes FIRST different is that they give the students some engineers, scientists, and real-world professionals to solve the problem. The students are not just applying what they know, they are learning from professionals, who don't always know all the answers, but mentor the students with the skills they've acquired in their professional career. It's this relationship between student and mentor that is getting students excited about solving problems.

I think everyone will agree that we have a lot of problems to solve, and it will be these students that are involved in FIRST that will be solving the toughest. If you're new to FIRST, check out my website for more details: www.firstobjective.org