Bishop-Wisecarver Joins Forces with FIRST®

Pittsburg, CA – Bishop-Wisecarver Corporation announced that for the fourth consecutive year it has joined forces with FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a not-for-profit organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology, as a Silver Supplier of the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC®).

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The FIRST Robotics Competition Silver Supplier level designates a contribution between $10,000 and $50,000. Bishop-Wisecarver provided an in-kind contribution of $29,000 for the 2010 FRC Kit of Parts which was distributed to more than 1,800 teams of high-school students on January 9, 2010.

In addition to the charitable contribution to the FIRST Robotics Competition Kit of Parts, Bishop-Wisecarver is co-sponsoring three local high schools. “We have been closely following the teams’ progress in their designing and building of their robots for the regional competitions, says Pamela Kan, President of Bishop-Wisecarver. It’s been an amazing experience to watch the excitement these students exude, their teamwork, and the utilization of their science and math skills as they turn their innovative ideas and designs into reality.”

By providing components for the competition, FIRST suppliers are putting the latest technology in the hands of students, giving them the opportunity to apply the same tools used by professional scientists and engineers and ultimately helping them learn real-world skills they will carry into the workplace.

Since 1992, FIRST has brought the excitement of a sporting event to science and technology via robotics competitions. On January 9, the organization unveiled the annual engineering challenge to teams, who also received a Kit of Parts made up of 577 items including motors, batteries, a control system, a PC, and a mix of automation components – but no instructions. Working with mentors, students now have just six weeks to design, build, program, and test their robots in preparation for regional events that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration, and the determination of students.

In the 2010 FRC “Breakaway” robotics game, two alliances of three teams will compete on a 27-by-54-foot field with bumps, attempting to earn points by collecting soccer balls in goals. Additional bonus points will be earned for each robot suspended in air and not touching the field at the end of the match.

More than 45,000 students from 12 countries will design and build robots to compete in regional events with winners advancing to the FIRST Championship in Atlanta, Georgia, April 15-17, 2010. Participating students are eligible to apply for nearly $12 million in scholarships offered by leading universities, colleges, and companies.

Bishop-Wisecarver
www.bwc.com

FIRST
www.USFIRST.org

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