FIRST, FIRST, FIRST! (Score 1)

Please, please, PLEASE don't look over FIRST. From first hand experience, I KNOW that FIRST is VERY valuable if you're looking to get students interested in science and technology. I myself wasn't extremely interested in the engineering field before I participated. I was leaning heavily towards pre-Pharm, but now I'm looking at an engineering (biomedical engineering, to be exact) major. The FIRST program doesn't only teach you, it inspires you. It gets you excited! I, for one, know that I probably won't be getting any sleep the first week of January because I'd be so excited about going to the local "remote" kickoff that Friday. It's also amazing what kind of a crowd FIRST draws in, in terms of participants and fans. The "nerds" aren't the only ones participating in FIRST - many, very different people do. Fans aren't just nerds, either. FIRST Robotics Competitions are highly active, so it's just as fun to watch as it is to compete. In short, if you're looking for a way to get high school students excited about science and technology.. FIRST is the way to go. Of course, any other robotics program would probably be just as good.. but with FIRST, I'm speaking from experience :) (PS: I'm a high school student, so I know what I'm talking about ;)