Congratulations to all the 2011 Award Winners, especially Team 836 Robobees from Leonardtown, Maryland, who went home with the Chairman’s Award, our top trophy for the team that best exemplifies the FIRST spirit.

A complete set of photos from the event are available here.  Also check out our playlist of videos from the event.  If you have additional photos or videos we should add, please let us know.

You can see a wonderful set of photos from the Championship at Beverly Lynn’s blog, and be sure to click on the gallery for more.  You can also see an slideshow on the WBAL-TV site.  We will shortly get our hands on more photos and videos from the event and let you know more about the winners, too.  But for now, thank you’s all around for a great event and a great Body Forward season.

Listen to an interview with Neal, Amir Abu-Shaeer and Dean Kamen on NPR’s Diane Rehm Show on Thursday, 3/3, in the second hour.  We’ll post a link when it’s available, and keep an eye out for other reviews as the book gets a nationwide marketing rollout to coincide with FRC Regional Competitions around the country.

Speaking of Regionals, make your plans to attend the Chesapeake Regional at the Baltimore Convention Center on March 17-19.  We’ll have 60 teams, nearly half from Maryland, and more than 2,000 people rocking the joint.  It’ll be fun…and you never know who might show up!

Unfortunately, the team did not qualify for this Saturday’s Maryland FLL Championship at UMBC, but we are very grateful for their participation in FLL this season and for being part of the article.  We’re delighted they are eager to come back next season.  Can’t beat the final quote, “It’s just really fun.”

We’re proud that Parkville Middle is home to a veteran FIRST LEGO League team, the Squires of Engineering.  We hope the students will get a chance to meet the President and other dignitaries.  Watch for more details as they develop…

Time Warner’s NY1 station does a good 2-minute report on the FIRST Kickoff event at Manchester, NH on Jan. 8.

will.i.am and FIRST

Think will.i.am and the Black Eyed Peas might work some robots into the Super Bowl halftime?

Our thanks to all 11 teams that participated and most especially to the Cowles family for organizing and running the event.  It was a very fine day for all involved, and a testament to the idea that JrFLL teams can host their own Expos — even without having seen one before!  

We encourage other parents and teams to take on the challenge of hosting an Expo later this year.  We now have 80 JrFLL teams in Maryland and need intrepid volunteers willing to step up and host Expos to give every team a place to show their success.  Please see here or contact info@mdfirst.org for more information.
 
For teams waiting for confirmation of their participation at upcoming JrFLL Expos at UMBC on Feb. 26 and at the Chesapeake Regional on Mar. 19, we apologize that it’s taken longer than expected.  We are pleased to say that all teams that have registered so far will get into the Expo of their choice.  We will get notices out directly to teams very shortly.  The UMBC Expo is now at capacity (36 teams), so any teams that register subsequently will go on a waiting list.  There is still space available at the Chesapeake Regional JrFLL Expo to be held Saturday, March 19 at the Baltimore Convention Center.  You can register here.  All events are free and open to the public, so stop by even if you are not exhibiting.
 
Thank you to all Maryland JrFLL teams for your participation in this year’s Body Forward Challenge.  We hope to see you at an upcoming event!

Were you a member of a

Your registration entitles you to invitations to upcoming FIRST events like the Chesapeake Regional, opportunities to reconnect with friends and other FIRST alumni, and much more.  

Registering with FIRST in Maryland also benefits current FIRST teams. Potential donors want to know how many lives have been touched by FIRST. They want to know that their gifts and now $14 million in scholarship opportunities will truly impact the lives of students and future professionals. Your success is our success. Furthermore, registering with FIRST in Maryland will alert you to volunteer, mentoring, and coaching opportunities which can come in handy if you are required to do annual community service or if you just want to give back. With four FIRST programs covering kindergarten through 12^th grade, there are many such volunteer opportunities.

Get involved today!  Register with Maryland FIRST alumni.

I’ve had the chance to read a pre-release version and it does a great job capturing the intensity and excitement of a FIRST season, from Kickoff to Championship.  It’s an excellent way to give folks a sense of what FIRST is all about, and it’s of special interest to alums who went through the Lunacy season.  There’s even a cameo appearance toward the end by Maryland FIRST alum Greg Needel.

You can learn more about the book, see a couple of videos and read an excerpt at Neal Bascomb’s site.  Pre-orders are also being accepted at Amazon and other retailers. It looks like the book will be getting a nationwide marketing push that will also help promote FIRST, so keep an eye out and your fingers crossed.