Feb 10 2011
Gates has declared that it will continue its support to the 2011 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). The company will sponsor PowerGrip belts and sprockets worth $500,000 to the contest. The power transmission products will be utilized by the students for developing their robot.
Gates will also provide supporting volunteers. They will not only help teams in technical issues and design questions but also will cheer the teams during the contest. The company has been supporting the FIRST contest for the fourth successive year. The contest encourages students to develop interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. It is expected that the 2011 FIRST contest will be participated by around 50,000 high-school children from the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Australia, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico and Israel.
The company will also offer several collegiate scholarships worth $2,000 to the contending high school students for the second successive year. The company’s engineering teams will select the finalists of the scholarship and the six final winners will be chosen by the executives of Gates.
Tribby Warfield, President of Gates North America Power Transmission, expressed his happiness in being a part of the FIRST program. He mentioned that the FIRST contest ignites the thoughts of students and also guides them to become successful engineers.