More than 12,000 Students from 38 Countries Bring their Custom-Built Robots and Team Spirit to the Ultimate Sport for the Mind™ Showdown at 2014 FIRST® Championship

Celebrities, Top Inventors, Government Officials and NASA Engineers Celebrate Student Achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math During Massive Robotics Event in St. Louis, Mo

MANCHESTER, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Over the weekend, more than 12,000 students from around the globe traveled to St. Louis, Mo., to put their engineering skills to the test at the annual FIRST^® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Championship, held at the Edward Jones Dome. Broll of FIRST Championship is available here: http://www.mediafire.com/watch/cc8b5j3sr4qs3m3/FIRST_2014_B-ROLL+SOT.720P.H264.MOV.mov

The three-day robotics event came down to a heart-pounding conclusion Saturday night in front of a roaring crowd of 20,000 when four teams from San Jose, Calif., Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; Dallas, Texas; and Holland, Mich., won the coveted FIRST^® Robotics Competition Championship Winning Alliance. In this year’s game, AERIAL ASSIST^SM, FIRST Robotics Competition teams took to the field, where competing Alliances scored points by throwing balls over a truss, catching balls, and putting as many balls in goals as possible. The more Alliances worked together to score, the more points their Alliance received.

More than 600 teams from 38 countries competed at the Championship in the three levels of FIRST: FIRST^® LEGO^® League; FIRST^® Tech Challenge; and FIRST^® Robotics Competition. In addition to the high-energy robotics matches, 40 teams of 6 to 9-year-olds participated in the Junior FIRST^® LEGO^® League World Festival Expo.

FIRST was founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people to pursue science and technology careers. For more information, visit www.usfirst.org.