LeBron James, Adriana Lima, and other celebrities are now appearing in ads that try to tell students the same message that FIRST tells us - in STEM fields, everyone can go pro!

​​"In a spot launching during March Madness, we see NBA star LeBron James explaining that there are only around 2,880 professional football players, a mere 850 pro soccer players and 624 pro basketball players. And, amazingly, there are only 5,800 fashion models.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, supermodel Adriana Lima and aging soccer star David Villa underline that there isn't a need for more of them. Instead, there are 9 million jobs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics."
... as explained in this CNET article:
https://www.cnet.com/news/lebron-james-tells-kids-become-scientist-not-nba-player-verizon-ad/

​In this "making of" video, we can see how often students want to be a pro celebrity but don't realize that STEM careers can be interesting and financially rewarding: 
​

​The advertisements are to help promote the
Innovative Learning Initiative
​and a
​grant program from the Verizon Foundation.

​The actual video ad sponsored by Verizon is here:

If you've been in FIRST Robotics for the last couple of years, you may have run across this 2015 article by author and trainer Paul Smith about his first experience at a FRC championship. He highlighted 10 differences between robotics competition and sports competition, and FIRST came out smelling like a rose. Even if you've already read it, you should read it again - he added an update this year on the role of the family in FIRST which you'll probably agree with!

​Top 10 Differences Between High School Sports and Robotics  -- by Paul Smith
​

An alert was sent out today from FIRST - here are excerpts:

... What happened?  On March 6, 2017, we received a report of suspicious activity for our two externally hosted websites – the FIRST Forum (forums.usfirst.org) and FIRSTTech Challenge Forum (ftcforum.usfirst.org).  We immediately launched an internal investigation into this report to figure out what happened and what information may be impacted.  While the investigation is ongoing, we have determined that the two websites were accessed between January 21, 2017, and March 7, 2017.  These websites are forums where members of the FIRST robotics community can ask questions that are answered by the FIRST community and forum moderators. No other FIRSTwebsites, including the FIRST registration sites, were affected. 

... What you can do:  The next time you log in, you will need to reset your password using the forgotten password feature on the Log In page. Additionally, if you reuse the same password for other website accounts, we strongly recommend you change your password on those accounts.

NEVER RE-USE A PASSWORD!!
​
For the full bulletin, go to this link:
http://ftcforum.usfirst.org/showthread.php?8140-Important-Notification-of-data-breach-on-FIRST-Forums&p=35539#post35539

From SWRiSE, $25/team includes Fair admission:
16 FTC  teams can participate, and registration deadline is Fri May 12.
​
Saturday, June 10: FIRST® Tech Challenge Contest
I am excited to inform you that official registration is now OPEN!
Here is the link directly to the registration page on the fair website: https://sdfair.com/contests/summer-of-robotics/ 
We look forward to seeing you register and seeing your team this summer at the San Diego County Fair! Please let me know if you have any questions!

Thank you!
​Samantha Hamilton - Program Manager 
SouthWest Robotics in Science Education (SWRISE)
PO Box 712077, Santee, CA 92072-2077
(619) 493-2268
www.swrise.org
 For updates on SWRiSE, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/swrise

ServoCity® / Actobotics® Scholarship ProgramServoCity is a proud supporter of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and encouraging young minds.  By offering scholarships, we want to assist young engineers and innovators in reaching their educational and career goals.

As part of our ServoCity/Actobotics Scholarship Program we offer two annual scholarships ($500 each) to high school seniors involved in either FIRST® Organization or the Radio Control hobby! If you are an eligible student, be sure to submit your application by the April 16, 2017 deadline.
​https://www.servocity.com/scholarships

Teams who would like to participate in an FTC invitational event in Reno, NV, check out their announcement. Out of state teams just have to pay $50 to enter, see link to register:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeTEvw0U1YmsmSNzf83n7TaC7i40BDArhZqq2bL_AAPKVBmHg/viewform
​Any questions - send to [email protected]

The annual Society of Women Engineers Exploring Technology (SWEET) event is usualy only for middle school girls, but this year they are open for high school girls as well. The event is on the UCSD campus on April 22. Tickets are limited so get yours soon!
​https://www.eventbrite.com/e/society-of-women-engineers-exploring-technology-sweet-dare-to-be-a-force-of-nature-tickets-32245859233

UPDATED:
​3848 Shockwave and 11128 Inspiration have both won a lottery spot for Worlds - congratulations!

​So now San Diego FTC has 5 teams heading to Houston for Worlds:

• 3848 Shockwave
• 4216 Rise of Hephaestus
• 8471 The Ducks
• 10092 Green.Griffins
• 11128 Inspiration

​Best of luck to you all!

​For anyone interested in going to see the World Championship, FIRST is seeking adult and student volunteers:

Student Ambassador Opportunities
Are you a FIRST® participant attending the FIRST® Championship? Consider becoming a Student Ambassador! This is a great opportunity to spend quality time with Sponsors and other special guests of FIRST.
 
As part of the FIRST Championship, we ask FIRST participants to assist us in providing fun and exciting tours to our generous Sponsors and other special guests. We know our students are our best tour guides, and our guests would love to meet you! Volunteer to be a Student Ambassador at the FIRST Championship this year and show our guests what FIRST is all about. This role will be one to two hours during the entire event.
 
To volunteer as a Student Ambassador:

• Log into the Volunteer Information and Matching System (VIMS) or create a FIRST account if you do not have one.
• Fill out all required profile information.
• To apply to volunteer, click on “Volunteer Role Applications," then "Apply for an Event."
• Use the filters to select either the Houston or St. Louis Championship event and select “Ambassador” as the role.
• Click on “Apply For Selected Roles” to complete the application.
• Continue to the background screening process (for those who are 18 or older).

If you would like more information, please feel free to contact Carol Edelman at [email protected].
 
Volunteers Needed for FIRST® Tech Challenge World Championship
If you’re interested in volunteering for the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship, sign up today! Just log into the Volunteer Information and Matching System (VIMS), fill out the required information, and request your preferred roles. We need judges, queuers, and load in and load out crew members. We have a role for everyone!