FIRST is an acronym that stands for "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology." It is a non-profit organization whose mission is to generate an interest in science and engineering among today's youth. The FIRST Robotics Competition is for high school age students. The FIRST Lego League, developed in partnership with Lego Mindstorms, is the Jr. Robotics program for elementary and middle school students. In 1999, IEEE became a technical co-sponsor of FIRST. This means that IEEE recognizes the value of organizations such as FIRST and will urge its members to participate in FIRST in a number of ways which include:

Organizing a FIRST team in your community to be sponsored by a local
corporation.
Serving as a judge at one of the regional FIRST competitions.
Becoming a member of a local FIRST team.