Robot vs. Robot: Live In Washington and Across the Nation

WASHINGTON -- NASA, in cooperation with local technology firms and
sponsors, launches a nationwide series of high school robotics
competitions that begin March 5 and 6 at the Walter E. Washington
Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place N.W., in Washington. The
two-day event runs daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST. It is free and
open to the public. NASA Television will carry opening ceremonies
starting at 9 a.m. March 5.

The student competition is called "For Inspiration and Recognition of
Science and Technology," or FIRST. The program was founded in 1989 by
inventor Dean Kamen to inspire an appreciation of science and
technology in young people, their schools and communities.

NASA is the largest sponsor of the international program. For the next
several weeks, 44 regional competitions will be held in 30 states and
the District of Columbia. NASA's centers will sponsor and support 13
competitions in California, Ohio, Maryland, Arizona, Louisiana,
Virginia, Nevada, Texas, Florida, and North Carolina. The FIRST
Championship competitions will take place in Atlanta in April.

Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST is a non-profit organization that
designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence,
knowledge and life skills while motivating young people to pursue
academic opportunities. The regional competitions also will include
participation from several high schools teams, showcasing their
inventions in Baltimore March11-13 and Richmond, Va., March 18-20.

For more information about the District competition, visit:

http://www.dc-first.org

For information about FIRST and the robotic regional competitions
across the nation, visit:

http://www.usfirst.org

For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Source: NASA