Gov. Rick Snyder: Michigan hosting FIRST Robotics championship showcases collaborations, Detroit

Gov. Rick Snyder: Michigan hosting FIRST Robotics championship showcases collaborations, Detroit

Detroit to co-host international competition highlighting STEM skills



Thursday, April 9, 2015







LANSING, Mich. – Michigan, already a national leader in FIRST Robotics teams, has been named as one of two hosts for FIRST championship events from 2018 to 2020, bringing teams from around the world to Detroit.

Gov. Rick Snyder on Thursday applauded the announcement that FIRST Robotics has named Detroit as one of two cities to host international championship events for three years. Starting in 2018, championship activities are to be held at Cobo Center and Ford Field. Houston will be the other host city during those three years.

“Michigan has long been a global leader in design and engineering, and FIRST Robotics is a program that is inspiring the next generation of innovators,” Snyder said. “We’re excited to show off Michigan’s talented students and the companies and universities that support them through FIRST Robotics. It’s also great that people from around the world will be visiting Detroit, the comeback city, and seeing firsthand the exciting things happening there.”

FIRST Robotics programs are collaborations between schools and experts in the field, where they work together to design and build robots for competitions, learning to solve challenging problems and gaining in-demand skills that can lead to rewarding careers.

Michigan is a national leader with 345 FIRST Robotics teams –107 more teams than California -- and 77 rookie teams this year. The state supports the teams through $2 million in grants as an effort to encourage students to study science, technology, engineering and math. The teams play a big role in state efforts to lead the nation in building a talented workforce.

The championship event includes competitions in all four FIRST Robotics programs and is projected to generate as much as $90 million in economic impact over the three years.

Teams can qualify for the international competition through state competitions held each April. Michigan’s 2015 state competition is scheduled for Saturday, April 11 at the DeltaPlex in Grand Rapids. The event is open to the public.

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