School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) recently announced that its 2014 season for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition (FRC) will kick off on January 4, 2014, starting at 9:30 a.m. (Doors open for registration at 8:45 a.m.). More than 40 Long Island teams will meet at Stony Brook University to learn about the game for the upcoming year.

Along with over 2,000 teams nationally, local teams will receive this year’s game rules via NASA satellite transmission from FIRST headquarters in New Hampshire. They will then pick up their kits of parts to begin the 42-day period of designing and building their robots. As one of over 40 regional events, the SBPLI Long Island Regional FRC will take place March 27-29, 2014 at Hofstra University.

Working with engineering mentors, they will apply the concepts of math and science learned at school. Students will learn other important concepts such as teamwork, problem solving and friendly competition. As a result, many students are inspired to pursue further education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

“The upcoming weeks will be crucial for these students as they design, program and construct their robots for this competition,” says Joani Madarash, Executive Director, School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. “The Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition presents the students’ capabilities after they learn not only the basic technological aspects of building their robots, but also about other concepts such as teamwork, problem solving and gracious professionalism.”

In addition, SBPLI will hold a special session for the students’ parents in which they will learn about the organization, its mission and the importance of the robotics programs. SBPLI representatives, team mentors and current and former Long Island Regional FRC participants will inform parents on how robotics has made a positive impact on their lives both academically and professionally. The interactive session will also allow parents the opportunity to voice their opinions and contribute ideas on how to make the organization even more successful.

“It is crucial to keep these outstanding hands-on STEM programs strong for our students," adds Ms. Madarash. "The kick-off marks the beginning of an exciting robotics experience that most students have repeatedly described as 'life changing.'"