A Look at the FIRST Robotics Festival in Montreal

Encouraging the development of future leaders is essential for any community. Here at Bombardier, we are proud to actively support the FIRST Robotics Competition – it is an integral part of our community involvement plan.

In 2010, Bombardier became one of the founding partners of FIRST Robotics Quebec, and this year, we are the main sponsor for the FIRST Robotics Festival being held at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium from February 28 to March 2, 2019.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics is an annual international robotics competition for students. Each year, teams of high school students, coaches, and mentors work during a six-week period to build robots that must complete pre-determined tasks, such as scoring into a goal with a ball or disk. Tasks are changed annually. The theme of this year’s competition is Destination: Deep Space.

FIRST Robotics Festival in Quebec by the numbers

The Impact of FIRST

• 2x more - FIRST participants receive a degree in engineering or science than in general
• 88% - FIRST participants demonstrate a greater commitment to succeeding in school
• 90% - FIRST participants demonstrate a greater interest in taking advanced math and science courses
• 91% - FIRST participants demonstrate a greater interest in post-secondary studies
• 75% - Past FIRST participants study or work in math, sciences, engineering or technology
• 33% - Female FIRST participants graduate with a diploma in engineering (compared to 41% of male participants)

We have had the pleasure of following the @Dragons, @Express-O and @Spartiates teams, who are putting their passion for science, technology and especially robots on display at the FIRST Robotics Montreal Competition. Have a look at their journey in these videos: