What:

The FIRST^® Robotics Competition Arizona Regional is a high-school robotics competition that features teams of students guided by their industry mentors as they compete in an alliance of robots racing to complete their tasks within a two-minute window. Prior to the regional competition, each team has six weeks to design and build a robot. During the “ Logo Motion™” game, the teams will drive their robots across the playing field to hang shapes on a grid, then deploy smaller robots to climb a pole for extra points.

45 teams from Arizona, California, Mexico and New Mexico will compete

Participating students are eligible to apply for more than $14 million in scholarships

The winning alliance is eligible to go on to the FIRST Championship in St. Louis, Mo. in April

The competition is free and open to the public. Spectators must wear closed-toed shoes to view the pit, or robot staging area

When:

Competition – March 18-19, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day

Media Preview – March 17, 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m.

During the preview, the media is welcome to preview the competition during robot unloading, event set up and practice rounds. This pre-event activity is exclusive to the media and is NOT open to the public.

Where:

Hamilton High School

Media

Opportunities:

FIRST ^® students and their mentors from the community (available throughout the event)

Sanghi is president and CEO of Microchip Technology , co-chair of the FIRST Arizona Regional Planning Committee, FIRST sponsor and member of the FIRST Board of Directors.

Contacts:

For more information and to RSVP:

Office: (480) 792-4386, email: Email Contact

Carol Popovich, Arizona FIRST Regional Director

More

Information:

To learn more about FIRST and the 2010 FIRST Robotics Competition, read below and visit http://www.microchip.com/get/BH88 .

About

FIRST:

FIRST ’s mission is to transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated, and where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes.

Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST ( F or I nspiration and R ecognition of S cience and T echnology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology and engineering.

The FIRST Robotics Competition challenges teams of young people and their mentors to solve a common problem in a six-week timeframe using a standard “kit of parts” and a common set of rules. Teams build robots from the parts and enter them in a series of competitions designed by Dean Kamen, Dr. Woodie Flowers, and a committee of engineers and other professionals. Students participating on FIRST teams are eligible to apply for over $14 million in scholarships.

Chandler-based Microchip Technology Inc. is the Organizing Sponsor and a Leader in Technology Sponsor of the FIRST Robotics Competition 2011 Arizona Regional. To learn more about Microchip, visit www.microchip.com .