Mouser Electronics continues hall of fame sponsorship at FIRST Championship Event

Mouser Electronics, Inc. announced that for the fifth straight year it will be a key sponsor of the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Championship, set for April 27 – 30 at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis.

Mouser is pleased to repeat its sponsorship of the Hall of Fame exhibit at the championship event with valued suppliers TE Connectivity and Murata. Making appearances with Mouser will be celebrity engineer and Empowering Innovation Togetherpartner Grant Imahara. To view a YouTube video with Mouser and Grant Imahara at the 2015 FIRST Championship, visit https://youtu.be/4SDk3Pc4eLc.

The mission of FIRST is to inspire young people to be leaders in science and technology through exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills. FIRST programs inspire innovation and foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.

“Since our founding more than 50 years ago, we have been dedicated to inspiring young people's interest in science and technology, and we are proud to once again sponsor a program that supports the brightest young minds and future engineers,” said Kevin Hess, Mouser’s Senior Vice President of Marketing. “The FIRST Championship shines the spotlight on creative students from the U.S. and around the world who are solving real-world engineering challenges with their robots.”

The FIRST Robotics Competition Hall of Fame exhibit at the FIRST Championship — sponsored by Mouser, TE Connectivity and Murata — highlights the past recipients of the Chairman’s Award, the highest honor awarded in FIRST Robotics competitions. Instead of awarding the Chairman’s Award to the team that earns the most points in the competition, FIRST honors the team that best exemplifies the goals and values of FIRST . 

Mouser also donates electronic components to FIRSTstudents through a partnership with the Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA). Each FIRST Robotics Competition team receives a kit of parts, including motors, batteries, a control system, a PC and a mix of automation components — with no instructions. Teams have six weeks to transform their kits into working robots designed to perform specific tasks.

Mouser will also have representatives at the new Innovation Faire exhibition area. At the Innovation Faire, Mouser will feature its unique capabilities as the new product introduction (NPI) distributor offering the newest products and advanced technologies from over 500 manufacturers.        

Through the support of companies like Mouser, kits were supplied to more than 2,500 teams around the nation last year. Mouser was a major sponsor of the Dallas Regional on March 23 – 26 at the Irving (Texas) Convention Center, with 44 teams from Texas, Arkansas, South Carolina, Mexico, Brazil and China. The top 400 teams from the regional competitions advance to the championship in St. Louis. To learn more about how Mouser supports FIRST Robotics Competition, visit http://www.mouser.com/first/.