SBPLI, Inc. Joins NYC FIRST in Presenting the FIRST Tech Challenge Qualifying Tournament

Jan. 17, 2014 - PRLog -- Who:          New York City FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)

School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI)

Participating FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) teams

Hewlett High School faculty and staff

What:          School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc., in conjunction with New York City FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), is presenting the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Qualifying Tournament.

         This year’s challenge is “FTC^® BLOCK PARTY!^SM”, in which students in grades seven through 12 build and program robots to place plastic blocks onto pendulum goals.  Each team will be required to raise their team flag up a flagpole, elevate their robots off the ground using a platform pull-up bar, and finish the match with a balanced pendulum to earn extra points.

When:          Sunday, January 19

         9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where:          Hewlett High School

         60 Everit Ave., Hewlett, NY

Directions:     Southern State Parkway to Exit 19S. Merge onto Peninsula Boulevard. After 3.7 miles, take slight left to stay on Peninsula Blvd., then turn left onto Rockaway Ave. Take a slight right onto Broadway, then make a left onto Piermont Avenue. After 0.1 miles, take the first left onto Cedar Avenue. Make a right onto Everit Ave. School will be on the left-hand side.

Photo Ops:    Representatives from School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. and NYC FIRST discussing the challenge and the importance of robotics and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in education. Teams presenting their robots for the first time. Teams working together to solve problems. Coaches guiding students throughout the Qualifying Tournament.

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ABOUT NEW YORK CITY FIRST^®

NYC FIRST is the New York City-based non-profit affiliate of FIRST^®, an international non-profit mentoring organization that was created to excite young people about science and technology, prepare today's students to enter tomorrow's advanced technology-based workplace, and provide them with valuable life skills.

NYC FIRST is dedicated to providing students from all five boroughs the opportunity to take part in FIRST programs. Participation in FIRST has a positive impact on the lives of students, increasing college attendance, majors in science and engineering, participation in internships and co-ops, and involvement in community service.

About School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc.

School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) was founded in 1984 by Fred Breithut with the goal of developing partnerships between local high schools and businesses that would provide students with practical experience and curriculum development, while helping the business community develop its future workforce. Over 100 partnerships have been formed. In 1999, SBPLI brought the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition to Long Island, in which eight high school teams participated. Since then, the Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition has grown to 50 teams competing each year. SBPLI also hosts Long Island’s annual FIRST LEGO League Qualifying and Championship Tournaments and the Junior FIRST LEGO League Expo, in which approximately 1,000 elementary and middle school students from Nassau and Suffolk Counties take part each year. For more information, visit www.sbpli.org.