Now in its 25th year, School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) is celebrating its 10th year of sponsoring the Long Island FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Regional Robotics Competition. The competition will be held at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex (Arena) at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 27, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 28. Students from 47 high schools from Long Island and the metropolitan area will compete for honor and recognition that reward design quality, sportsmanship, competitive play, and high-impact partnerships among schools, businesses, and communities.

FIRST was founded by inventor Dean Kamen, who introduced the Segway™ Human Transporter (HT). He created FIRST with a goal to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people, their schools, and communities. This year, the FIRST Robotics Competition will reach more than 33,000 high-school-aged young people on about 1600 teams in regional events representing every state in the United States and several other countries, including Israel and Brazil. More than 1,100 students will compete in the Long Island Regional to earn a spot at the Championship event on April 16-18, 2009 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA.

"We are extremely excited to see what our participants for the FIRST Robotics Competition have come up with this year," said Fred Breithut, Chairman and Founder of SBPLI, and sponsor of the Long Island FIRST Regional Robotics Competition. "This event is an imperative stepping stone for students. For some, it's a chance to take part in making a vision become a reality. For others, it opens the door to possibilities that are few and far between these days, like scholarships or job opportunities. Most importantly, this competition is a chance to instill within students a vital concept to achieving success; anything is possible if you put your mind to it."

Over a six-week timeframe, students work with their professional mentors to design a robot using a "kit of parts" and a standard set of rules. Once these young inventors create their 130-pound robots, their teams participate in regional competitions that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration and the determination of students. Students received their kit of parts on January 3 and had until February 17 to complete their robot. This year's competition is a game called "Lunacy."

In "Lunacy," robots are designed to pick up 9-inch game balls and score them in trailers hitched to their opponents' robots for points during a 2-minute, 15-second match. Additional points are awarded for scoring a special game ball, the Super Cell, in the opponents' trailers during the last 20 seconds of the match. "Lunacy" is played on a low-friction floor, which means teams must contend with the laws of physics. The wheels and playing surface have been designed to simulate the weightlessness in the moon's atmosphere.

Since its beginning, FIRST has had a positive impact on students and academic communities. Surveys conducted by the Center for Essential Management Services found that participating students' attitudes about science, math, teamwork and the working world significantly improved after participating. The students' self-images also improved. Also, interest in internship and employment opportunities with sponsoring local companies increased.

This season, participating FIRST students are also eligible to apply for over $9 million in scholarships from leading universities, colleges and companies that will be announced at the FIRST Championship in April. Through their participation in the 2008 competition, Long Island students walked away with about $600,000 in college scholarships. Patchogue-Medford High School received the Regional Chairman's award last year, the highest honor of the competition. It is awarded to the team that exemplifies FIRST's purpose and goals, thereby making the recipient an example of what other teams should follow.

SBPLI was founded in 1984 by Fred Breithut to develop partnerships between local high schools and businesses that would provide students with practical experience, while helping the business community develop its future workforce. More than 100 partnerships have been formed. In 1999, Long Island FIRST was formed for the purpose of developing a Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics competition. The Long Island Regional has since grown with 47 teams registered for the 2009 competition. The increase in participation among high school students and local business demonstrates the importance of supporting the Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition.

The SBPLI - L.I. FIRST sponsors and volunteers come from some of the most highly regarded companies and organizations in the Long Island region. This year's major sponsors are New York State Sen. Owen Johnson, FESTO, Hofstra University, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Other sponsors include Stony Brook University, Farmingdale State College, DeVry College of New York, and Ziehm Medical, LLC.

FESTO, a local corporation and ten-year supporter provides mentors to a number of local teams. "We have found that this competition truly works to inspire our young people to pursue careers in the engineering field," said Mike Cybulski, President/CEO of FESTO. "The students of today are the workforce of tomorrow. We owe it to the communities we live in to help with this event."

Mr. Breithut is asking local businesses to consider joining Mr. Cybulski and other Long Island technology leaders in supporting this year's competition. Companies interested in sponsoring the 2009 Long Island Regional Competition, or those that would like more information about the Robotics competition, can contact Fred Breithut at (631) 692-2962.