FIRST Global Challenge is the newest of Dean Kamen's competitions - it is specifically directed at international participation with one team from each country. In addition, there is one team from each continent (except Antarctica) for 6 Continental teams. The Challenge is inspired by the 14 Grand Challenges of Engineering, and this year the Challenge theme is based on providing access to clean water. There are 3 robots on each side, and the 6 robots compete on a 6 meter x 4 meter field. For more info, see their website: http://first.global/ There's one more day of competition left - TUESDAY, July 18:
Here is a short description of the 2017 Challenge: Monday July 17 was Day 1 of the competitions - here is some of the action (link will only play at Youtube): https://youtu.be/mBjBKuf1mks?t=11m20s If you'd like to see the opening ceremonies from Sunday July 16 with an Olympics-like parade of countries and the address by Dean Kamen, here it is (link will only play at Youtube): https://youtu.be/vo_F1J4MfWg?t=15m21s
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FIRST® Australia is pleased to invite teams to apply to compete at the Asia Pacific FTC Invitational (API) from the 14th – 16th of July in Sydney, Australia. API is an annual event with teams competing from around the globe. The vision of this event is to encourage students to network internationally, make lifelong friendships, and learn from each other. This event will be held at Macquarie University in the Sydney suburb of North Ryde (20 minutes northwest of the city).
Team registration is $250* AUD per person (attendees may include team members, mentors, parents, siblings and other team supporters). This will include lunches (14th - 16th of July) and dinners (14th - 15th of July) for attendees. There are many hotels in the North Ryde area. Some suggested accommodations can be found on the FIRST Australia website under DDU & API Lodging Options. Team Application and Registration Payment Deadline: 31 May 2017 Apply Now! Updated information will be posted on the www.firstaustralia.org website as it becomes available. If you have questions, please contact Tom Johnson via email at [email protected] * Registration via methods other than credit card will incur an Administration Fee of $10 AUD per person. Also FYI, Macquarie University has offered scholarships to FTC graduates in the past. There are a number of US students from FTC who are studying engineering there. The RoBowties team 6137 participated in the Asia Pacific Invitational (API) in 2015 for Cascade Effect and won Captain of the Finalist Alliance and PTC Design Award. Approximately 30 teams participated in that API, and about 10 were from the United States with the rest mostly from Oceania and Asia regions. If anyone is interested and has questions, email the RoBowties at [email protected] 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 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 The Society for Women Engineers offers scholarships for women going into engineering.
The local San Diego chapter has scholarship deadlines this week March 15 for incoming first years. http://www.swesandiego.org/scholarships.html The national organization has a May 1 deadline. https://scholarships.swe.org/applications/login.asp a $1,000 Women in Technology Scholarship to an outstanding female student who is planning a career in the field of computer science and/or computer programming (deadline May 5):
https://studysoup.com/women-in-technology-scholarship We have now separated those blog announcements of programs we hear about into their own categories:
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