About FIRST

"To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes."

 --Dean Kamen, Founder

 FIRST was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway Human Transporter. FIRST operates the FIRST Robotics Competition in which teams of high school students, sponsored and assisted by local companies and volunteers, design, assemble, and test a robot capable of performing a specified task in competition with other teams. FIRST also runs the FIRST LEGO League, for children 9-14 years old, and FIRST Place, an innovative science and technology center, including a hands-on children's science museum.

  Gracious professionalism is the moral value behind FIRST and teaches ethics to the leaders of tomorrow. The concept behind gracious professionalism is treating people with respect, being friendly, and having an overall positive attitude. Students and mentors are encouraged to lend a helping hand to teams in need, without expecting anything in return. The overall goal of gracious professionalism is to teach others that, while there may be opponents in FIRST, there are no enemies.

 The mission of FIRST is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders. FIRST seeks to promote a philosophy of teamwork and collaboration among engineers and encourages competing teams to remain friendly, helping each other out when necessary.