For those of you who were interested in more information following the FIRST Robotics program on February 5th, here is a link to their presentation slides. Bruce added the local contacts for all participating teams in the Cedar Valley on the last slide. Please reach out to Bruce if you are interested in getting involved! Bruce Newendorp: bnewendorp@firstinspires.org
 

FIRST® is a non-profit organization whose goal is to get students excited about STEM and pursue education and career opportunities in this field.  Inspiring young people since 1992, FIRST began with 28 teams in a New Hampshire high-school gym. Today, the four FIRST programs reach over 400,000 young people annually. The fun they have, the knowledge they gain, and the friendships they make along the way help build self-confidence, nurture creativity, and inspire them to solve the world’s greatest challenges, be strong citizens, and build a brighter future. 

Jan and Bruce Newendorp have been mentors for the Cedar Falls FIRST Robotics Competition team for 15 and 18 years respectively.  Jan was an elementary teacher for many years and Bruce was an engineer at John Deere for 39 years retiring in 2016.  He then became the FIRST Regional Director for Iowa.  In that role he and Jan work together to promote FIRST in Iowa and lead the planning committee for the FIRST Robotics Competition Iowa Regional.