Digital Engineering 24/7

Helping design and engineering professionals discover, evaluate and specify technologies and processes that shorten the design cycle and enable success.

Design

Simulate

Additive Manufacturing

Digital Thread

Engineering Computing

Companies

Glossary

Podcasts

Products

Reviews

Webinars

Downloads





Alert!

Digital Engineering ceased publication on July 1, 2026. This website remains available as an archive of engineering content.

For inquiries or information, please email [email protected].

Glossary: FIRST

 
 
FIRST stands for 'For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.' It is an organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen in 1989 to inspire students to join and continue into engineering and technology fields.
 
 

More FIRST

Preparing Youth for Tech of Tomorrow

Preparing Youth for Tech of Tomorrow
Student Competition Profile: The FIRST Community and Team Robotics
PTC’s Onshape Teams Up With FIRST For Design Competition

PTC’s Onshape Teams Up With FIRST For Design Competition
FIRST, a nonprofit that offers robotics competitions for students primary/secondary students, has partnered with PTC for a virtual design competition.

Stand Behind STEM/STEAM Programming
STEM projects build on the natural curiosity of children while teaching the scientific method, engineering, physics and biology, and let kids try on careers at an early age.
Student Competitions Provide an Out of Classroom Engineering Curriculum

Student Competitions Provide an Out of Classroom Engineering Curriculum
Student competitions prepare up-and-comers with the hands-on experience necessary to meet the challenges of next-generation engineering.
FIRST: Not Just Robots

FIRST: Not Just Robots
According to FIRST’s evaluation data, student participants are twice as likely to major in science or engineering.

PTC to Offer ThingWorx to FIRST Robotic Teams for Free
The company announced it will be donating PTC ThingWorx software to all FIRST teams in addition to PTC Creo, PTC Mathcad, and PTC Windchill software.

Rapid Ready Roundup: FIRST, Aerodef, Firearms, and Hershey’s

3D Printing for Charity, Education

Tennesse Students Use 3D Printing to Build Robots for FIRST

FRC 233: THE PINK TEAM Builds SWAT Robot

Twilight Robotic Adventures: Solido Prints Team 2220’s Robot in 3D

Twilight Robotic Adventures: Team 2220 Rounds Out the Season with Chrysler Team Spirit Award

Twilight Robotic Adventures: Grab, Toss, and Dangle

Twilight Robotic Adventures: Kick Off!

Introducing Blue Twilight: Team 2220

More FIRST

Browse glossary terms

Latest News

Latest Resources

From our Sponsors

Meltio Takes Metal Additive to the Next Level
Meltio's DED technology enables industries to tailor and customize their solutions to create & repair metal parts.
Easing the Transition from ETO to CTO with Configuration Lifecycle Management
Manufacturers are discovering that the Configure-to-Order (CTO) model provides significant benefits when it comes to customization.
Siemens + Altair = The Next Chapter in Design and Simulation
With its acquisition of Altair, Siemens creates a unified simulation portfolio combining generative design with high-performance computing and AI workflows.