Nonprofit FIRST Allocates $50 Million for High School, College Scholarships in 2017

Image Credit: FIRST.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an international nonprofit organization founded to inspire youth to participate in science and technology, has hit a milestone achievement of $50 million for its college scholarship program for high school and college students interested in STEM.

The FIRST Scholarship Program connects participants in the organization’s two robotics competitions — FIRST Tech Challenge (for students in grades 7 to 12) and FIRST Robotics Challenge (for high schoolers) — with higher education institutions, corporations, associations and FIRST alumni. The program is supported by nearly 200 organizations, such as the Stevens Institute of Technology, and makes almost 2,000 college scholarship opportunities available.  

“At Stevens Institute of Technology, hands-on learning opportunities are central to the development of leadership skills and innovative thinking among our students. Stevens’ collaborations with FIRST are a natural extension of this belief,” said Nariman Farvardin, president of the Stevens Institute of Technology, in a news release. “Many bright FIRST alumni have become Stevens students that give back to the program through volunteerism and mentorship, or help to host FIRST competitions on campus.”

A video highlighting the FIRST Robotics Challenge can be found below. To learn more about the program, visit the FIRST Scholarship Program site.

About the Author

Sri Ravipati is Web producer for THE Journal and Campus Technology. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Man offers stem word sign on virtual screen

    Immersive Workforce Development Initiative Connects Students with Real-World STEM Careers

    The Center of Science and Industry, a science museum and research center in Central Ohio, has launched The HIVE, a workforce development initiative designed to help students across the country explore real-world career pathways in aerospace, advanced manufacturing, engineering, and emerging technologies.

  • digital lock

    CoSN: Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Remain Top AI Concerns in Education

    A leading concern for education technology leaders across the United States is the potential for AI to enable new forms of cyber attacks, according to the latest State of Ed Tech report from CoSN.

  • broken digital lock and glowing chain

    Check Point Researchers: AI Has Crossed into the Live Attack Chain

    AI is moving beyond assisting cybercriminals and beginning to operate within live attacks, according to a recent report from Check Point Research. The technology is making sophisticated capabilities faster and more accessible while creating new security risks for businesses deploying their own AI systems.

  • circuit patterns

    Anthropic Intros Lower-Cost Claude Sonnet 5

    Anthropic has launched Claude Sonnet 5, positioning the model as its most autonomous mid-tier offering to date and a lower-cost alternative to its flagship Opus 4.8 system. The company said the model can plan multi-step tasks, operate tools such as browsers and terminals, and complete agentic work at a level that previously required larger and more expensive models.