New England Institute of Technology (NEIT) will serve as the host site for the 13th annual FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)

Tech Challenge on Saturday, February 9, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Serving as Rhode Island’s FIRST Tech Challenge Affiliate Partner, NEIT will host 49 Rhode Island middle and high school robotics teams at the university’s Center for Automotive Technology located at 101 Access Road, Warwick. This year’s theme “Rover Ruckus” will offer students the opportunity to

explore STEM concepts through a challenging, out-of-this-world space-themed game.

Accomplished inventor, Dean Kamen, foundedFIRST

in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in students through the fun of robotics. The goal is to engage students to develop problem solving, critical thinking, team building and innovative reasoning skills using custom-designed robots.  The participating Rhode Island teams will compete for the chance to advance to the FIRST

Tech Challenge World Championship being held April 24-27 in Detroit, Michigan.

New England Tech will serve as the central point of contact for all participating teams. The event is free and open to the public.  For more information on the FIRST

Tech Challenge, contact Erin Flynn, NEIT’s Director of Enrollment Management Outreach, at 739-5000 ext. 3462 or by email at eflynn@neit.edu. To learn more about theFIRST

organization visit www.usfirst.org.