The 2016 season of School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI)’s FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition (FRC) will kick off on January 9, 2016, at 8:30 a.m. Over 40 Long Island teams made up of high school students will gather in anticipation of learning about the forthcoming season’s robotics competition. The event will be held at the Jacob Javits Lecture Center at Stony Brook University.

Along with over 3,000 teams worldwide, local teams will receive this year’s game rules via NASA satellite transmission from FIRST headquarters in New Hampshire. They will then collect their “kits of parts” to begin the 42-day period of designing and building their robots. As one of numerous regional events, the SBPLI FRC Long Island Regional will take place March 31 to April 2, 2016 at Hofstra University. Some of the teams set to participate in the local event will move on to compete at the 2016 Championship event at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, April 27 to 30, 2016.

SBPLI will also hold a special informational session at the Kick Off for students’ parents, during which they will learn about the organization, its mission and the importance of the robotics programs.

“Leading up to the main event, SBPLI students will work with engineering mentors to apply concepts of math, science and engineering to build their robots,” explains David Johnson, FRC Co-Director, SBPLI. “Our students will also learn important concepts such as teamwork, problem solving and healthy competition. Many SBPLI students use these skills while pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) studies and careers.”

Over the years, FIRST students from Long Island received more than $2 million in scholarships for higher education. This year, students participating in FIRST will have access to over 600 scholarships worth over $25 million.

“The FIRST Robotics Competition is not just about the design and build of sophisticated robots,” said Debra Winter, FRC Co-Director, SBPLI. “These students also develop maturity, professionalism and teamwork skills that enrich their lives. Many of our students are inspired to go on to study science, technology, engineering, or math in college. Our graduates often pursue careers with sponsoring companies, meeting the businesses’ needs for well-rounded, technically skilled employees.”

For more information, visit www.sbpli.org.

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*A list of participating teams scheduled to participate in this year’s Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition is below.

LIST OF DISTRICTS PARTICIPATING IN 2016 SBPLI LONG ISLAND REGIONAL FIRST® ROBOTICS COMPETITION
March 31 to April 2 at Hofstra

#28             Pierson Middle/High School (Sag Harbor)

#263           Sachem High School (North & East)

#271          Bayshore High School

#287          William Floyd High School

#329          Patchogue-Medford High School

#352          Carle Place Middle/High School

#353          Plainview-Old Bethpage High School

#358          Hauppauge High School

#496          Earl L. Vandermeulen High School

#514          Miller Place High School

#527          Plainedge Senior High School

#533          Lindenhurst Senior High School

#545          Island Trees High School

#564          Longwood High School

#569           East Meadow High School

#601          Hampton Bays High School

#810          Smithtown High School (East & West)

#870          Southold Junior-Senior High School

#871          West Islip Senior High School

#884          Malverne Senior High School

#1156        Novo Hamburgo RS Brazil

#1468        Hicksville High School

#1537        Lockheed Martin and Home School, Uniondale

#1554        Oceanside Senior High School

#1601        Aviation Career and Technical High School

#1635        Newtown High School (Elmhurst)

#1751        Comsewogue High School

#1796        Queens Vocational and Technical High School

#1803        Paul D. Schreiber High School (Port Washington)

#2027        Westbury High School

#2053        Union Endicott High School & Vestal Senior High School

#2161        Walt Whitman High School

#2347        Walter G O’Connell Copiague High School

#2487        Sayville High School & Bayport-Blue Point High School

#2601        Townsend Harris High School

#2638        Great Neck South High School

#2872        Wheatley School

#2875        Cold Spring Harbor High School

#3137        Connetquot High School

#3171        Westhampton Beach High School

#3624        Half Hollow Hills High School West & East

#3950        North Shore High School

#4006        Central Islip High School

#4122        Ossining High School

#4458        Center Moriches High School

#4567        Seaford Senior High School

#5016        Huntington High School

#5099        Northport High School

#5202        New Rochelle High School

#5659        Bridgehampton High School

#5736        Kings Park High School

#5955        Bellport Senior High School