Funded by NASA and other organizations, an international student robotics competition is being conducted on March 30 and 31, 2012. The event takes place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place NW, in Washington. Several media representatives have been invited for the event, which is open to public.
The competition, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) represents robotics programs that will inspire the present-day youth to come up with innovative solutions to pursue their careers in the fields of engineering and sciences, through which several advanced technical pioneers can be achieved.
The inaugural address was delivered by John Grunsfeld, an astrophysicist and associate administrator at NASA's Science Mission Directorate. Following the inauguration on 30 March, the event on 31 March will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
National FIRST program’s major sponsorship was offered by NASA. About five regional competition events and more than 280 teams were supported by NASA. Over 63 high school teams from the District of Columbia, Virginia, Maryland, and eight other states compete in this weekend's competition.
Around four international competitions and 45 regional competitions are taking place across the country, this year. In addition to funding, NASA engineers and scientists will serve as mentors to the student teams and will be the technical participants at the event. The FIRST Championship competition is scheduled from April 27 to 29 in St. Louis.
Dean Kamen in 1989 established this program with an intent to motivate and inculcate the innovations in science and technology among schools and communities.
Source: http://www.nasa.gov/