Microsoft Presents Engineering Award to FIRST

The Silicon Valley Education Foundation celebrated its seventh annual Pioneers & Purpose fundraising dinner on Sept. 15, 2011, where Microsoft presented the Engineering Category Award to FIRST Robotics. FIRST, or For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, is a program committed to inspire young people to be leaders in technology. FIRST encourages students by creating robotics competitions and providing the necessary tools for students to innovate. This fall, 100 school teams in the Bay Area will compete in the robotics, technology, and LEGO programs. The winners will advance to the international championship in St. Louis, Missouri. More than $15 million in scholarship award money is available to participating students in college tuition.

More than 5,500 students are involved in FIRST Northern California and 90 percent are from the Bay Area. For most students involved in the program, it is the first time that they have built and programmed a robot in their young careers. For others, this program gives an edge to students who want to pursue an engineering degree in college.

Microsoft is focused on continuing to support education initiatives and students’ success though building software and creating programs that promote communication and collaboration among students, teachers and employers. Recently, Microsoft gave free software worth nearly $3 million to Bay Area education and nonprofit organizations to continue serving the Silicon Valley community.

Head here for more information about the event, visit Pioneers & Purpose.