The FIRST Robotics competition season begins this week -- March 4-5 -- with local district events hosted at Kettering University in Flint and Traverse City Central High School, followed by more district tournaments each weekend though April 2 across the state of Michigan -- a total of nine events.

Then in Week Six, the state finals take place April 7-9 at Eastern Michigan University.

FIRST in Michigan continues to grow with 172 high schools participating this season – up from 137 last year – and it will host brand new district competitions in Livonia, Niles and Waterford: 

The 2011 District Event schedule is as follows:

March 4-5: Kettering University District, Flint, and Traverse City Central High School District, Traverse City.
March 11-12: Waterford Mott High School District, Waterford Township
March 18-19: Detroit District, Wayne State University, Detroit, and West Michigan District, Grand Valley State University, Allendale
March 25-26: Ann Arbor Skyline High School District, Ann Arbor, and Niles High School District, Niles
April 1-2: Livonia Churchill High School District, Livonia, and Troy Athens High School District, Troy
April 7-9: State Championship, Convocation Center, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is active in nearly 30 percent of all Michigan high schools, earning the Great Lakes State the second highest participation rate in the country after California. 

The organization focuses on creating a high-energy environment that allows adult professional mentors to work side by side with high school students to show how much fun engineering, math, science and technology can be as a career choice.

"At a time when U.S. colleges of engineering find fewer and fewer students inclined to join them, industries need a steady flow of new, motivated engineers to tackle international competition and environmental challenges," said Francois Castaing, president of FIRST in Michigan. "FIRST Robotics has proven repeatedly that high school students' misconceptions about careers in engineering and technology can be overcome. FIRST is the only varsity 'sport' in which all participants can actually turn pro."

As a result, the organization has been cited by President Obama's administration and other presidents before him as one of the best educational and motivational ways for students to start down the road of a career in engineering, science or technology.

There are also more than $14 million in FIRST college scholarship opportunities nationwide this year.

The 2011 game is called "Logo Motion," where two alliances of three teams -- selected randomly in the early rounds -- compete on a 27-by-54-foot field,  attempting to earn points by hanging square, round, and triangular shaped inner tubes (which represent the pieces of the FIRST logo) on posts along one end of the field. Alliances are awarded extra points if the tubes are placed in the proper order to create the FIRST logo. Robots can also deploy Mini-Bots to race up the vertical poles at the end of the round to earn bonus points.

After the round robin events are scored, the top teams are selected for quarterfinals, and those teams pick their two alliance members from the rest of the field, starting with the top-scoring team. There's high drama here, as teams accept or decline to be part of alliances based on their strengths in various aspects of the competition. Quarterfinalists compete for entry to the semifinals and then the finals, and a winning and runner-up alliance emerges.

All Michigan teams compete at least twice within the state. District competition scoring will qualify teams for the 2011 Michigan State Championship. From there, 18 teams will be eligible to advance to the international FIRST Championship in St. Louis, Mo., April 27-30. All competitions are free and open to the public.

Michigan teams have been on the winning alliance at six of the last seven national championships.

More at www.usfirst.org or www.firstinmichigan.org.