The NFPA recently opened applications for the fourth annual NFPA Robotics Challenge Scholarship. The $40,000 merit-based scholarship ($10,000 per year for four years) will go to a high school senior who participates as part of a 2020 FIRST® Robotics or National Robotics League (NRL) Competition Team and uses fluid power in the competition robot. The scholarship may be used to study engineering at any accredited technical college or university in the United States.
The NFPA aims to create more awareness of the fluid power industry, applications and career options for high school students while creating a more educated workforce for member companies. The FIRST® Robotics and NRL Competitions are a great fit, as competitors get to master STEM skills, build and compete with a robot of their own design, learn from professional engineers and use sophisticated software, hardware and tools, all while applying teamwork and communication skills.
According to the FIRST Impact Report, an impressive 92% of competitors say they are more interested in attending college after participating and are 2.6 times more likely to enroll in an engineering course their freshman year.
This year, the FIRST® Robotics completion theme is INFINITE RECHARGESM to support the use of renewable resources. More information will be released in a teaser on September 12, 2019, with the full kick off and game reveal January 4, 2020. The competition theme pairs well with our mission because hydraulics and pneumatics often play key roles in manufacturing alternative power generation systems.
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Get Involved
Spread the Word: Are you mentoring a FIRST® Robotics or NRL team? If so, encourage them to incorporate fluid power in their robot and to apply for the NFPA Robotics Challenge Scholarship by the May 1, 2020 deadline date.
Evaluate Applications: To become a reviewer for the scholarship applications or receive more information about the Robotics Challenge, please contact Justine Schauer at jschauer@nfpa.com or (414) 778-3369.
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