School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) announces the 2013 season for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition (FRC) will kick off on January 5, 2013, starting at 10:30 a.m. More than 40 Long Island teams will meet at Room 100 in the Jacob Javits Center at Stony Brook University to learn about the game for the coming year.

Along with over 2,000 teams nationally, local teams will receive this year’s game rules via NASA satellite transmission from FIRST headquarters in New Hampshire. They will then pick up their kits of parts to begin the 42-day period of designing and building their robots. As one of over 40 regional events, the SBPLI Long Island Regional FRC will take place April 4-6, 2013 at Hofstra University. Some teams participating in the local event will move on to compete at the 2013 Championship event at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis on April 24-27, 2013.

Working with engineering mentors, they will apply concepts of math and science learned in the classroom. Students will learn important concepts such as teamwork, problem solving and healthy competition. Ultimately, many students are inspired to pursue further education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

Over the years, LI FIRST students received more than $2 million in scholarships. This year, students participating in FIRST will have access to over 600 scholarships worth over $16 million.

“The FIRST Robotics Competition is not just about the design and building of sophisticated robots. These students also develop maturity, professionalism, and teamwork skills that enrich their lives,” said Ginny Greco, FRC Director, SBPLI, sponsor of the Long Island Regional FRC. “Many of our students are inspired to study science, technology, engineering, or math in college. Graduates often pursue careers with sponsoring companies, meeting their needs for well-rounded, technically skilled employees.”

For more information, visit www.sbpli.org.