Event Advisory: March 29 - 30 CONTACTS: Hartford District Chair Lisa Savage, lisaperez@gmail.

com, 586-604-3891 Communications Manager David Givens, david.givens4@gmail.com, 203-206-2854 NE FIRST Communications Director Jenny Smith, jenny@acuitypr.org, 860-328-0212 For more information, visit nefirst.org, @nefirst on Twitter; www.facebook.com/nefirst.org on Facebook #OMGHartford

40 FIRST Robotics Competition teams to compete in Flagship Hartford District Event March 29 and March 30
WHAT: WHEN: WHERE: FIRST Robotics Competition Hartford District Event Saturday and Sunday, March 29 March 30, 8:30 a.m. 5:30 p.m. both days Hartford Public High School, 55 Forest Street, Hartford, CT 06105

This Saturday and Sunday, March 29 and March 30, over 1,200 high school students on 40 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) teams will converge on Hartford Public High School in Hartford, CT to participate in one of nine district qualifying events across five New England states. Teams will put to the test the science, engineering math, technology and teamwork skills theyve acquired in developing customized robots during an intense six-week build period that began on January 4 and culminated in the competitions pack and store deadline on February 18. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a not-for-profit organization, founded by inventor Dean Kamen, dedicated to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. The FIRST Robotics Competition is a program that challenges high school students working with professional Mentors to design and build a robot to contend in competitions. The district events, which will take place between February 28 and April 5, are part of a restructured NE FIRST operating model thats designed to afford FRC teams more opportunities to compete and collaborate with other teams across New England. Top seeded teams from the nine district events will participate in the NE FIRST Championship, to be held April 10-12 at Boston Universitys Agganis Arena in Boston, Mass. The 2014 game, Aerial Assist, is played by two Alliances of three teams each. Alliances compete by trying to score as many balls in goals as possible during a two-minute and 30-second match. Additional points are earned by robots working together to score goals, and by throwing and catching balls over a truss suspended just over five feet above the floor as they move the ball down the field. Saturday, March 29: Competition Day 1 8 a.m. Pits and Machine Shop Open 10:30 a.m. Opening Ceremonies (speakers subject to change) Speakers: o Lisa Szewczul, Vice President of Environment, Health, and Safety, UTC Aerospace Systems o Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut 9:00 a.m. 1 p.m. Seeding Matches 1 p.m. 2 p.m. Lunch 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Seeding Matches Sunday, March 30: Competition Day 2 8:00 a.m. Pits and Machine Shop Open 9:00 a.m. Opening Ceremonies (speakers subject to change) Speakers:

o Cato T. Laurencin M.D. Ph.D., Professor, Director, and CITCS CEO, The University of Connecticut. o Sen. Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Senator from Connecticut 9:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Seeding Matches 12:30 p.m. - 1:0 p.m. Alliance Selections 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Lunch 2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Final Rounds 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Award Ceremonies 6:30 p.m. Pits close The presenting sponsor of NE FIRSTs 2014 season is United Technologies (UTC). In addition to sponsoring the event, UTC sponsors 34 teams in Connecticut, 26 of which will compete at the Hartford District Event. NE FIRST regional sponsors are Fairchild Semiconductor, BAE Systems, PTC, ebm-papst Inc., WPI, and Texas Instruments. The Northeast Utilities Foundation, The Peter And Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation, Pyramid Time Systems, Conveyco, CBIA, XL Color, Faddys, Jx2 Productions and Hartford Public Schools sponsor the Hartford District Event locally. Photos of the Hartford District Event will available after March 31. Attached: List of FIRST Robotics Competition teams that will participate in the Hartford District Event List of NE FIRST district events to be held in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island leading up to the NE FIRST Regional Championship April 10-12 in Boston. Fact sheet on United Technologies Involvement with the 2014 FIRST Robotics Competition Season. About NE FIRST and the new New England District Model Six New England states (Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire) have organized into one region to implement a district model for high-school-level FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) teams. Following the success of FRC program restructuring in other states (Michigan) and regions (Mid-Atlantic), the new district model in New England is designed to provide a cost-effective way for teams to play more, with two qualifying events for one registration fee; to lower costs by allowing teams to play closer to home; to improve teams ability to fundraise and do outreach in their communities, and to reward and advance teams based on their performance on and off the field. A new 501(c)(3) not for profit organization, ingenuityNE, supports NE FIRST events across the five New England states. NE FIRST events resemble the competition structure of high school varsity athletic leagues. Teams will compete in local tournaments and, based on how a team does at district qualifying events, they progress to the New England Championship in Boston April 10-12. Winning teams from the New England Championship qualify to participate in the FIRST World Championship, to be held April 23-26 in St. Louis. About FIRST
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) 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. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $19 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC ) for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC ) for Grades 7-12; FIRST LEGOLeague (FLL ) for Grades 4-8; and Junior FIRST LEGOLeague (Jr.FLL) for Grades K-3. Gracious Professionalism is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org.
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