FIRST® Robotics Competition Long Island Regional Kickoff Event at Stony Brook University

Who: FIRST (http://www.usfirst.org/)^® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) will be joined by numerous public figures to launch the 2015 season of the FIRST^® Robotics Competition (http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc) (FRC) with a worldwide Kickoff event originating from Manchester, N.H.

· The Stony Brook Kickoff event will include 50 teams. This event is one of 107 total Kickoff events taking place worldwide.

· The 2015 season will include nearly 3,000 teams (75,000 high-school students) participating in 105 Regional and District events. All teams, grades 9-12, will be shown the new 2015 robotics game field and challenge for the first time and will receive an exciting, new Kit of Parts made up of motors, batteries, a control system, and a mix of automation components – with limited instructions.

·Teams will have six weeks to design and build a robot to meet this year’s engineering challenge.

Dignitaries and public figures will deliver remarks on video and in person, including:

· Dean Kamen, President, DEKA Research & Development and Founder, FIRST;

· Dr. Woodie Flowers, FIRST Distinguished Advisor, and Co-Chair of the FIRST Executive Advisory Board; Pappalardo Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

· Donald E. Bossi, President, FIRST

·         Deb Winter and Dave Johnson, FRC Directors, School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc.

·Dave Ports, Coordinator, Stony Brook Kickoff

· Will Reece, Principal, School Construction Consultants

·Jeffrey Stern and Michael Canders, Members, Board of Directors, School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc.

· Robert Kutka, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Stony Brook University

· FIRST students & special guests

What: Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen (http://www.usfirst.org/aboutus/bio/dean-l-kamen^[2]) founded FIRST in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. The FIRST Robotics Competition is an annual competition that challenges high-school students — working alongside professional Mentors — to construct a robot of their own, and compete in the ultimate Sport for the Mind™ that measures the effectiveness of each robot, the power of teamwork and collaboration, and teams’ displays of Gracious Professionalism^®. (http://www.usfirst.org/aboutus/gracious-professionalism^[3]) Through their participation, students experience the excitement of science, engineering, technology, and innovation; build well-rounded life capabilities such as self-confidence, communication, and leadership; and qualify for over $20 million in college scholarships.

When:Saturday, January 3, 2015

9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Local Remarks (LIVE Stony Brook only)

10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time, Comcast NBCUniversal Broadcast

Where*: Stony Brook University, Jacob Javits Center, Room 100, Stony Brook, NY *OPEN TO ALL MEDIA: If you would like to attend as media, please contact Hank Russell, PRMG New York at (631) 207-1057 ext. 110 (before day of event) or (516) 983-3890 (day of event) or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.^[4].

· 107 Kickoffs in cities worldwide: U.S. and international FIRST teams will tune in via Comcast NBCUniversal broadcast and webcast. Access the webcast via http://www.comcastcorporation.com/frc2015

· To locate teams in your area, visit http://www.usfirst.org/whats-going-on or contact your FIRST Regional Director http://www.usfirst.org/regional-contacts.

2015 FIRST Robotics Competition Kickoff Event Locations:

· For a listing of all local Kickoff locations, visit:  http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/local-kickoff-information.

Photo Opp.:   FIRST will unveil the details of the new 2015 robotics competition game after the speaker program. Students take measurements on the new game field and inspect the challenge in order to develop strategies for robot construction, and to determine if they will play offense, defense, or both.

Broadcast Link:
 http://www.comcastcorporation.com/frc2015

Media Notes:

· High resolution photos of previous FIRST competitions are available in the Photo Gallery: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/marketing-tools/frc/2014-photo-gallery.

· Photos available day of event after 2 p.m. Eastern Time by contacting Hank Russell, PRMG New York at (631) 207-1057 ext. 110 (before day of event) or (516) 983-3890 (day of event) or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

· Interviews with speakers at the Kickoff event in Stony Brook available by contacting: Hank Russell, PRMG New York at (631) 207-1057 ext. 110 (before day of event) or (516) 983-3890 on the day of the event or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

About School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc.
School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (http://www.sbpli-lifirst.org/) (SBPLI) was founded in 1984 by Fred Breithut with the goal of developing partnerships between local high schools and businesses that would provide students with practical experience and curriculum development, while helping the business community develop its future workforce. Over 100 partnerships have been formed. In 1999, SBPLI brought the FIRST^® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition to Long Island, in which eight high school teams participated. Since then, the Long Island Regional FIRST^® Robotics Competition has grown to 50 teams competing each year. SBPLI also hosts Long Island’s annual FIRST^® LEGO League Qualifying and Championship Tournaments and the Junior FIRST^® LEGO League Expo, in which over 1,300 elementary and middle school students from Nassau and Suffolk Counties take part each year. For more information, visit www.sbpli.org.

About FIRST^®
Accomplished