The Rise Of The Robots
The mission of FIRST is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.
The Western New England FIRST Robotics initiative was established by a committee that includes University faculty and students as well as community volunteers and leaders. The initiative’s mission is to become a hub for recruitment, knowledge sharing, resource management, and skills development for local community and K-12 STEM and robotics programs. This will be accomplished by mentoring current FIRST teams, starting new teams within the Springfield School District, and hosting regional competitions on campus to better serve Springfield’s diverse and underrepresented K-12 student population.
As part of the WNE FIRST Robotics initiative, Western New England has established a FIRST Robotics Scholarship open to high school students who verify participation in FIRST Robotics or FIRST Tech Challenge competitions prior to submitting their application to the University.