Results from New York City FIRST Mega Weekend.

New York, NY – March 6, 2012 – Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics (STEM) lessons build the foundation for new career opportunities, and students of all ages will get a taste of the possibilities at the New York City FIRST Science and Technology College and Career Expo, March 16-18, 2012, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, NY.

“The employers of today put a premium on innovative problem solvers who are skilled in science and technology applications,” said Arlene Goldman, Volunteer Head of the Committee for the FIRST Science and Technology College and Career Expo.  “This weekend, students and their parents will explore a world of opportunities  for achieving their long-term educational and career goals in promising STEM career fields.”

On Friday, March 16 and Saturday, March 17, students will have the opportunity to connect with more than 30 colleges and universities offering FIRST Scholarships and learn more about options in education within STEM.  Some of the top colleges and universities within STEM are confirmed to exhibit, including the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, Yale, BU, MIT and Capital College.

On Sunday, March 18 corporations from across the tri-state area will descend on the Javits Center to talk to students and parents about future career opportunities, This includes Fortune 500 companies who are looking for the best and brightest talent.

The New York City FIRST Science and Technology Career Expo is part of the 12^th Annual New York City FIRST Mega Weekend, which combines three intense robotics competitions under one roof.

For more information about the New York City FIRST Mega Weekend, goto http://www.nycfirst.org.

Note: Press passes and photos are available upon request

About New York City FIRST

NYC FIRST is the Regional Office of FIRST^®, the 501c3 not-for-profit organization created to inspire youth to pursue studies and careers in science and technology and to help students acquire the knowledge and skills needed to compete in the technologically-driven global economy.

Contact:

George Nikanorov
Head of NYC FIRST Marketing Committee
Head of Marketing
DATA Inc.
(201) 799-4937
george@dataincusa.com

New York, NY – March 6, 2012 – Video games and real-life robotics are about to collide, as FIRST Robotics teams prepare to compete using Xbox 360 Kinect Controllers at the New York City FIRST^® Robotics Competition, held on March 16-18, 2012 at the Jacob K.JavitsConvention Center inNew York,NY.

“We designed Kinect to make entertainment more simple and more approachable,” said Alex Kipman, GM, Hardware Incubation for Xbox at Microsoft in the FIRST^® Robotics Competition Kickoff Video, aired on January 9, 2012.  “(The) technology has so much potential uses beyond the living room.  I’m very much looking forward to seeing what (the teams) do with it with (their) robots at the FIRST Robotics Competition.”

During the FIRST Robotics Competition, alliance teams will have the option of supplementing one of their robots’ autonomous routines so that a team member can be the controller.  By doing so, for the first 15 seconds, the combination of the Xbox 360 Kinect and the alliance robot forms a Hybrid, which the driver will be able to control through a series of motions.  After 15 seconds, conventional controls kick in and the alliance driver then comes back to help the team.

The Microsoft Xbox 360 Kinect is just one of the exciting new additions to the FIRST Robotics Competition and the “Rebound Rumble” format.  For a complete video of how the Xbox 360 Kinect will be used to control robots at the competition, visit the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGK8fpjgUpw&feature=plcp&context=C3ad5cb5UDOEgsToPDskLxc48jPXW40g7lP91VM2eZ

For more information about New YorkCity FIRST, and the FIRST Robotics Competition, visit http://www.nycfirst.org.

Note: Press passes and photos from the competition are available upon request

About New York City FIRST

NYC FIRST is the Regional Office of FIRST^®, the 501c3 not-for-profit organization created to inspire youth to pursue studies and careers in science and technology and to help students acquire the knowledge and skills needed to compete in the technologically-driven global economy.

Kinect, Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 Kinect and the Xbox logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

Contact:

George Nikanorov
Head of NYC FIRST Marketing Committee
Head of Marketing
DATA Inc.
(201) 799-4937
george@dataincusa.com