Hawaii Governor Emphasizes Technology, Engineering at FIRST Robotics Competition

Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle attended the 2007 FIRST Robotics Competition kickoff event in Manchester, New Hampshire, where she addressed teams who will use their imagination, creativity, teamwork and ingenuity to build robots and solve engineering challenges in a six-week timeframe. The FIRST Robotics Competition is an annual competition that helps students discover the rewards and excitement of science, engineering, and technology. Over 32,500 high-school students on 1,300 teams from Brazil, Canada, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, the U.K., and -- for the first time ever -- every state in the U.S., are participating in this year's competition.

"I know the future is bright when we have leaders, such as yourselves, stepping forward to do something important, something special, and in this case, something fun, all at the same time," Lingle told the students.

Non-local teams watched the proceedings via NASA TV broadcast or Web cast from 46 regional kickoff sites, many of which also offered workshops and a chance to meet other teams.

The event is organized by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a non-profit public charity that designs innovative programs which motivate young people to pursue educational and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills. The governor also met with FIRST founder Dean Kamen to discuss opportunities for developing the administration's innovation initiatives.