Awards & Honors Mark Final Day of National Robotics Championship

Awards & Honors Mark Final Day of National Robotics Championship Team 22 From California Receives Prestigious Chairman's Award
$1.2 Million in Scholarships Awarded to FIRST Competition Participants

Awards and honors were presented to teams participating in the 10th-annual FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition which wrapped up on Saturday at Walt Disney World's EPCOT Resort in Orlando, Fla. Team 22, "Double Deuce," from Chatsworth High School in North Hills, Calif., sponsored by Boeing-Rocketdyne, Computer Associates, Decker Machine, and Fadal Engineering, took one of the top honors in winning the coveted Chairman's Award, given annually to the team whose partnership best illustrates the true spirit of FIRST. Award presentations were also highlighted by the announcement of $1.2 million in scholarships for FIRST students, aimed at opening doors in higher education that will lead to careers in engineering and design.

Cheered to victory by an energetic audience of nearly 20,000 fans, sponsors, and family and team members, award-winning teams displayed remarkable efforts in earning a number of awards and honors presented, recognizing teams and individuals in categories ranging from best design, to entrepreneurship, to sportsmanship and team spirit. The three-day Competition included over 10,000 high school students on more than 330 teams from 44 states, Canada, Puerto Rico and Brazil competing with robots designed, built and controlled in an athletic-style contest of knowledge and strategy.

"We would like to congratulate today's winners -- and all the participants -- for the hard work and creative energy they brought to the National Competition," said Dean Kamen, Founder of FIRST. "Each year, as more teams participate, the level of competition becomes more intense and the results more exciting. And every year it's more clear that the students and engineers competing with FIRST teams and the companies that sponsor these teams are all winners in terms of the commitment, collaboration and value they bring to meeting challenge with a sprit of gracious professionalism."

"The opportunity to develop curiosity, understanding and strong skills in math, science and engineering gives students a great advantage as they look toward the future," said David Brown, Executive Director of FIRST. "These skills, combined with knowing how to plan and work collaboratively to accomplish a goal, guarantee that FIRST students will take their places within the ranks of the highest achievers in the world."

Following is a list of teams on the alliance recognized as National Champions at the Competition. A complete list of all other awards and scholarships can be found on the FIRST Web site at http://www.usfirst.org.

National Champions

• Team 71, "Team Hammond"
  Beatty Machine and Manufacturing & School City of Hammond
  (Hammond, Indiana)
• Team 125, "Team NU-TRONS"
  Northeastern University/Textron Systems & Boston Latin School, Brookline High School and Milton Academy
  (Boston, Massachusetts)
• Team 279, "Tech Fusion"
  Dana Corporation/Toledo Technology Academy & Rogers High School
  (Ottawa Lake, Michigan)
• Team 294, "Beach Cities Robotics"
  TRW/Computer Associates & Mira Costa and Redondo Union High School
  (Manhattan Beach, California)
• Team 365, "Miracle Workerz"
  E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Inc./DuPont Engineering Explorer Post
  (Wilmington, Delaware)

-- Posted April 12, 2001

Source: FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)