[April 26, 2014]

Inventor Dean Kamen and Entertainer will.i.am Recognize Student Leaders at Dean's List Award Ceremony, 2014 FIRST® Championship Event

FIRST^® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a not-for-profit organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen, announced 10 student recipients of the Dean's List Award during a ceremony at the FIRST Championship in St. Louis, Mo.

The Dean's List Award recipients - all FIRST^® Robotics Competition (FRC^®) students nominated by their team Mentors - were chosen based on their leadership skills, commitment to FIRST ideals, contributions to their team, and their effectiveness in increasing awareness of FIRST within their schools and communities.

"You are all superstars who have helped lead your teams to greatness," said FIRST Founder, Dean Kamen. "You exhibit extraordinary energy and passion for FIRST, and will continue to do so. You will all become great engineers and technology leaders."

Since its introduction in 2010, the Kamen family has sponsored the Dean's List Award with the hopes that the award winners will continue on as great leaders of the FIRST Alumni community, and as advocates for the FIRST experience.

"Everyone in this auditorium inspires me," said will.i.am, entertainer and technologist. "You guys make tomorrow possible. My hat is off to you." will.i.am helped to launch a FIRST team in his hometown of Boyle Heights, Calif.

The 2014 Dean's List Award Winners included:

Celebrating its fifth year, the Dean's List Award Ceremony featured: will.i.am, entertainer and technologist; Lynn Tilton, Founder and CEO of Patriarch Partners; Noel Lee, CEO, Monster Inc.; Karen Goudy, Associate Director of International Relations, WPI; Matt Grob, Executive Vice President, Qualcomm (News - Alert) Incorporated; Jeremiah Quinlan, Dean of Admissions, Yale; and Stu Schmill, Dean of Admissions, MIT.

Winners of the Dean's List Award will receive a written recommendation from FIRST to the colleges or employers of their choice, and an invitation to attend an expenses-paid trip to the FIRST Dean's List Award Winners Summit at FIRST Headquarters in Manchester, N.H. this summer.

Sponsors of the Dean's List Award Ceremony include: Allied Electronics, American Express Serve, BrandIt, Comcast (News - Alert) NBCUniversal, Fitbit, Inc., INCOSE, Google, Microsoft Corporation, Monster, Pebble, Qualcomm Incorporated, Southwest Airlines, and United States Air Force.

About FIRST^®

Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST^® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $19 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST^® Robotics Competition (FRC^® ) for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST^® Tech Challenge (FTC (News - Alert)^® ) for Grades 7-12; FIRST^® LEGO^® League (FLL^® ) for Grades 4-8; and Junior FIRST^® LEGO^® League (Jr.FLL^®) for Grades K-3. Gracious Professionalism^® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org.

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