FIRST® Announces Qualcomm’s Return as Presenting Sponsor of the 2016 Championship
Long List of Corporate Sponsors Support Life-Changing Championship
Event
MANCHESTER, N.H.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#FIRSTChamp—FIRST®
(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an
international not-for-profit K-12 organization founded to inspire young
people’s interest and participation in science and technology, today
announced that Qualcomm
Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) will return as Presenting Sponsor for
the 2016
FIRST Championship being held at various venues across St.
Louis, April 27-30.
“Qualcomm’s dedication to the FIRST mission continues to grow in
exciting, impactful ways. Its long history of generous support,
including three years as Presenting Sponsor of FIRST
Championship, is proof of Qualcomm’s commitment to helping young people
find pathways to successful futures,” said FIRST President,
Donald E. Bossi. “We are grateful to organizations like Qualcomm and the
rest of the FIRST Championship Sponsors for enabling us to
deliver the life-changing event that is FIRST Championship to
students around the world.”
This year, over 17,000 students will participate at the FIRST Championship.
With the support of FIRST Sponsors, it promises participating
teams and spectators alike an exciting, action-packed,
once-in-a-lifetime experience that has all the heart-pounding thrills
and team spirit of a professional sporting event.
“We strongly believe that programs like FIRST are essential for
the future of innovation, as they make learning about STEM fields fun
and engaging,” said Matt Grob, executive vice president and chief
technology officer Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “The talent and ingenuity
of the participants of FIRST Championship is very inspiring, and
there’s no doubt that many of them will be at the forefront of
tomorrow’s inventions.”
2016 FIRST Champion Program Sponsors include: The Boeing Company;
BOSCH; Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD); FedEx
Corporation; Google; IBM; Monsanto; NRG Energy; U.S. Air Force; United
Technologies Corporation (UTC).
Other 2016 FIRST Championship Sponsors include: Abbott Fund; BAE
Systems; Bechtel Corporation; Booz Allen Hamilton; The Coca-Cola
Company; Comcast NBCUniversal; CSC Charitable Foundation; DaDaLeLe;
Dice; The Dow Chemical Company; Edward Jones; General Electric Company;
Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark; Microsoft Corporation; Mouser
Electronics; Nidec Motor Corporation; NVIDIA Corporation; SpaceX;
Southwest Airlines; St. Louis Regional Chamber; St. Louis Union Station
Hotel; UL; Vulcan Spring & Mfg. Co.
The FIRST Championship, which is projected to bring in more than
40,000 spectators and students, has an estimated economic impact of $30
million to the St. Louis area. The city has hosted the Championship
since 2011. The international event showcases student teams from FIRST
Robotics Competition for students in grades 9-12; FIRST®
Tech Challenge for grades 7-12; FIRST®
LEGO® League for grades 4-8; and FIRST®
LEGO® League Jr. for grades K-3.
Save the date! The FIRST Championship will be held in:
Houston April 19-22, 2017 and St. Louis April 26-29, 2017 | Houston
April 18-21, 2018 and Detroit April 25-28, 2018
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 $25 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit
organization hosts the FIRST®
Robotics Competition for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST®
Tech Challenge for Grades 7-12; FIRST®
LEGO® League for Grades 4-8; and FIRST®
LEGO® League Jr. 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.firstinspires.org.
Contacts
FIRST ®
Brooke Blew, 603-206-2048
bblew@firstinspires.org
or
Haley
Dunn, 603-206-2494
hdunn@firstinspires.org
