Public Relations and Marketing Blog

Local Students Build Robots and Engineering Skills with FIRST® Tech Challenge ROVER RUCKUS Presented by Qualcomm

GREAT NECK, NEW YORK – Area young people, ages 12 to 18 are among 69,000 students around the world who have readied their FIRST Tech Challenge robots to explore uncharted planets for the 2019-20 season game, SKYSTONESM presented by Qualcomm. To successfully complete the space-themed game, teams of young people must program robots to compete on a 12’ x 12’ field, in an alliance format, against other teams. The Android smartphone-controlled robots are powered by the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ mobile platform and coded using Java. Through hands-on experience and working in teams, students learn the value of hard work and creative problem-solving.

WHAT: Local students on more than 40 teams go head to head, putting 8+ weeks’ worth of research, design, and programming to the test in a regional Tournament to win honors and recognition. The season will culminate with the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship in Houston, Texas, April 17-20 at the George R. Brown Convention Center, and on April 24-27 at the Cobo Center, Detroit, Michigan.

WHEN: Saturday, January 18, 2020
Sunday, January 19, 2020
7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: Richard S. Sherman Great Neck North Middle School
77 Polo Road
Great Neck, NY

VISUALS: -Amazing, custom-built robots come to life in fast-paced, timed competitions
-Hundreds of festively dressed local students and their mentors putting designs and skills to the test
-Young people interacting with local volunteers and meeting with judges from community organizations
-On-site teamwork, troubleshooting, problem solving
-Spirit and excitement as students, families, friends cheer for their local teams

*Access to and interviews with students, teachers, coaches, mentors and local sponsors available upon request.

The Garden Dept. Acquired by National Landscaping Supply Chain

CORAM, NEW YORK — The Garden Dept., a multilocation wholesale nursery and horticultural distributor led by 35-year-old Don Caroleo, has announced that it has joined SiteOne Landscaping Supply, a national carrier of landscaping products based in Roswell, Georgia.

Established in 1976, The Garden Dept. is a third-generation nursery providing landscaping and hardscaping products to both commercial and residential customers. In 2011, it opened up a wholesale distribution center in Dix Hills. In 2018, a third location was added in Speonk to service its East End customers and clients, and the Coram location expanded with a masonry division to fulfill customers’ hardscaping needs. With three locations, The Garden Dept. is the tristate area’s largest independent nursery operation and landscaping supply outlet.

SiteOne is the largest and only national wholesale distributor of landscape supplies in the United States. Its customers are primarily residential and commercial landscape professionals who specialize in the design, installation and maintenance of lawns, gardens, golf courses and other outdoor spaces.

“The Garden Dept. is an excellent fit with SiteOne as they significantly strengthen our market leading nursery and landscape supply position in the Long Island market,” said Doug Black, Chairman/CEO, SiteOne Landscape Supply. “This addition aligns with our mission to be the best full-line distributor to landscape professionals, providing the highest quality products and services designed to help our customers be more successful.

“The Garden Dept. has an outstanding culture built around customer service,” Mr. Black continued. “They have a talented team that shares SiteOne’s passion for providing quality products, exceptional service and superior value to our customers.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

LI FIRST® Robotics Competition Kicks Off to a Great Start

Seaford High School Robotics Team Receives Kit of Parts

Seaford High School students attended this year’s kickoff event for the 2020 FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition, sponsored by School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) also known as FIRST Long Island, and hosted by LIU Post. They gathered with more than 40 participating high schools on January 4 at the LIU Post Tilles Center for presentations and a simulcast broadcast from New Hampshire unveiling this year’s game. After the presentations and broadcast, each team received a kit of parts, which they will use along with other materials to build a 120-pound robot. The teams will have six weeks to construct the robot and prepare for the upcoming competition to be held on March 22-28 at Hofstra University.

Members of the Seaford High School robotics team are pictured displaying the contents of the kit of parts.

For more information about SBPLI and the annual FIRST Robotics Competition, visit http://www.sbpli-lifirst.org.

LI FIRST® Robotics Competition Kicks Off to a Great Start

Our Lady of Mercy Academy Robotics Team Receives Kit of Parts

Our Lady of Mercy Academy students attended this year’s kickoff event for the 2020 FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition, sponsored by School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) also known as FIRST Long Island, and hosted by LIU Post. They gathered with more than 40 participating high schools on January 4 at the LIU Post Tilles Center for presentations and a simulcast broadcast from New Hampshire unveiling this year’s game. After the presentations and broadcast, each team received a kit of parts, which they will use along with other materials to build a 120-pound robot. The teams will have six weeks to construct the robot and prepare for the upcoming competition to be held on March 22-28 at Hofstra University.

Members of the Our Lady of Mercy Academy robotics team are pictured displaying the contents of the kit of parts.

For more information about SBPLI and the annual FIRST Robotics Competition, visit http://www.sbpli-lifirst.org.

LI FIRST® Robotics Competition Kicks Off to a Great Start

Longwood High School Robotics Team Receives Kit of Parts

Longwood High School students attended this year’s kickoff event for the 2020 FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition, sponsored by School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) also known as FIRST Long Island, and hosted by LIU Post. They gathered with more than 40 participating high schools on January 4 at the LIU Post Tilles Center for presentations and a simulcast broadcast from New Hampshire unveiling this year’s game. After the presentations and broadcast, each team received a kit of parts, which they will use along with other materials to build a 120-pound robot. The teams will have six weeks to construct the robot and prepare for the upcoming competition to be held on March 22-28 at Hofstra University.

Members of the Longwood High School robotics team are pictured displaying the contents of the kit of parts.

For more information about SBPLI and the annual FIRST Robotics Competition, visit http://www.sbpli-lifirst.org.

LI FIRST® Robotics Competition Kicks Off to a Great Start

Copiague High School Robotics Team Receives Kit of Parts

Copiague High School students attended this year’s kickoff event for the 2020 FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition, sponsored by School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) also known as FIRST Long Island, and hosted by LIU Post. They gathered with more than 40 participating high schools on January 4 at the LIU Post Tilles Center for presentations and a simulcast broadcast from New Hampshire unveiling this year’s game. After the presentations and broadcast, each team received a kit of parts, which they will use along with other materials to build a 120-pound robot. The teams will have six weeks to construct the robot and prepare for the upcoming competition to be held on March 22-28 at Hofstra University.

Members of the Copiague High School robotics team are pictured displaying the contents of the kit of parts.

For more information about SBPLI and the annual FIRST Robotics Competition, visit http://www.sbpli-lifirst.org.

LI FIRST® Robotics Competition Kicks Off to a Great Start

Carle Place High School Robotics Team Receives Kit of Parts

Carle Place High School students attended this year’s kickoff event for the 2020 FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition, sponsored by School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) also known as FIRST Long Island, and hosted by LIU Post. They gathered with more than 40 participating high schools on January 4 at the LIU Post Tilles Center for presentations and a simulcast broadcast from New Hampshire unveiling this year’s game. After the presentations and broadcast, each team received a kit of parts, which they will use along with other materials to build a 120-pound robot. The teams will have six weeks to construct the robot and prepare for the upcoming competition to be held on March 22-28 at Hofstra University.

Members of the Carle Place High School robotics team are pictured displaying the contents of the kit of parts.

For more information about SBPLI and the annual FIRST Robotics Competition, visit http://www.sbpli-lifirst.org.

LI FIRST® Robotics Competition Kicks Off to a Great Start

Bay Shore High School Robotics Team Receives Kit of Parts

Bay Shore High School students attended this year’s kickoff event for the 2020 FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition, sponsored by School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) also known as FIRST Long Island, and hosted by LIU Post. They gathered with more than 40 participating high schools on January 4 at the LIU Post Tilles Center for presentations and a simulcast broadcast from New Hampshire unveiling this year’s game. After the presentations and broadcast, each team received a kit of parts, which they will use along with other materials to build a 120-pound robot. The teams will have six weeks to construct the robot and prepare for the upcoming competition to be held on March 22-28 at Hofstra University.

Members of the Bay Shore High School robotics team are pictured displaying the contents of the kit of parts.

For more information about SBPLI and the annual FIRST Robotics Competition, visit http://www.sbpli-lifirst.org.

“INFINITE RECHARGE(SM)” Is Unveiled as 2020 FIRST® Robotics Competition Challenge during SBPLI-FIRST Long Island’s Regional Kick-Off

LIU Post Tilles Center Hosted 47 Local FIRST Robotics Teams,
Mentors and Advisors, and their Families, at the Annual Event

[Brookville, New York] — The Tilles Center at LIU Post was abuzz with anticipation on January 4 as students, educators and families from across Long Island joined together for the unveiling of the 2020 FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition challenge, “INFINITE RECHARGESM”.

INFINITE RECHARGE is part of the 2020 FIRST season, FIRST RISE, powered by Star Wars: Force for Change. FIRST has teamed up with Lucasfilm and parent company Disney as part of the Star Wars: Force for Change philanthropic initiative to inspire the next generation of heroes and innovators, creating a place where collaboration and collective wisdom can elevate new ideas and foster growth. FIRST RISE empowers FIRST participants to explore the future of cities and architecture, building communities filled with inspiration, creativity, and — most importantly — hope.

In INFINITE RECHARGE, two alliances work to protect FIRST City from approaching asteroids caused by a distant space skirmish. Each Alliance, along with their trusty droids, race to collect and score Power Cells in order to energize their Shield Generator for maximum protection. To activate stages of the Shield Generator, droids manipulate their Control Panels after scoring a specific number of Power Cells. Near the end of the match, droids race to their Rendezvous Point to get their Shield Generator operational in order to protect the city.

Presented by School-Business Partnerships of Long Island (SBPLI), also known as FIRST Long Island , this annual event served as the official Kick-Off of the 2020 FIRST Long Island season and included a live broadcast of the game reveal direct to the Tilles Center. Hundreds of eager FIRST Long Island students and their parents and coaches listened with rapt attention as FIRST Founder Dean Kamen, and FIRST President Larry Cohen discussed the program as well as the 2020 theme and objective.

“I hope you tackle this season by working together to explore new ideas, to be innovative and inclusive, to strive to make an impact, and — of course — to have fun,” Mr. Cohen said. “I know you’ll rise to the challenge. What you learn in FIRST will make you better prepared for the future and enable you to solve our toughest challenges.”

Before the broadcast, members of SBPLI-FIRST Long Island, sponsors and alumni addressed the crowd, including FIRST Robotics Competition Co-Director Larry Toonkel, Executive Director Bertram Dittmar and Board Member Jeffrey Stern. The presentation also featured New York State Senator James Gaughran, LIU Post Director of Employer Relations Christopher A. Bates, FIRST Alumna Taylor Pedley (formerly with Smithtown High School Team #810) and Matt Boehm, an Engineer with Zebra Technologies, a co-sponsor of the SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition.

Immediately following the game reveal broadcast, the visiting teams received pertinent competition details, a first-hand look at the game field, and were handed their build kits, which contain motors, batteries, control system components, construction materials and a mix of additional automation components, along with limited instructions.

“Leading up to the main competition, FIRST Long Island students will work with coaches and mentors to apply concepts of math, science and engineering to build their robots to meet the game’s objectives,” Mr. Toonkel said. “The FIRST Robotics Competition is not just about the design and build of sophisticated robots, our students will also learn important concepts such as teamwork, problem solving and healthy competition. Over the years, FIRST students from Long Island received more than $8 million in scholarships for higher education, in areas of science, technology, engineering, business or math in college. These students also develop maturity, professionalism and teamwork skills that enrich their lives. Our graduates often pursue careers with sponsoring companies, meeting the businesses’ needs for well-rounded, technically skilled employees.”

“This Kick-Off event was a success from all perspectives,” said David Seinfeld, LIU Post Director of School Planning and Partnerships. “The students were inspirational. Their energy for the program, their honor for each other and their respect for the university’s facilities was truly outstanding.” LIU Post offers full scholarships to high school seniors with a 1300+ SAT (28 ACT equivalent) and a 90+ GPA and is encouraging students from Long Island teams participating in the FIRST Robotics Competition to apply.

FIRST isn’t limited to Long Island; nearly 3,900 teams from all over the world came together as a community to share in the excitement of seeing the new game unveiled and will draw on this enthusiasm during the build period. During this time, all FIRST students will be asked to design, build, test and update their robots before the start of the 2020 competition, which includes more than 170 Regional and District events beginning late February. These events measure the effectiveness of each robot’s design and control, the power of teamwork and the determination of participating students not only to win, but to learn and have fun.

To learn more about INFINITE RECHARGE, visit https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc/game-and-season. For more information on SBPLI, visit www.sbpli-lifirst.org.

Jeffrey Stern (right), Board Member, SBPLI, addresses the crowd as Larry Toonkel (left), FIRST Robotics Competition Co-Director, SBPLI, looks on at the FIRST Robotics Competition season kickoff at LIU Post Tilles Center on January 4.
New York State Senator James Gaughran (fourth from right) is joined by Bertram Dittmar (left), Executive Director, SBPLI, members of the Plainview-Old Bethpage High School Robotics Team #353 “POBots” with their coach, Steven Kunz (right), before the start of the FIRST Robotics Competition season kickoff at LIU Post Tilles Center on January 4.
SBPLI-FIRST Long Island students, educators and parents await the announcement of this year’s challenge at the FIRST Robotics Competition season kickoff at LIU Post Tilles Center on January 4.

Local Children Apply Research and Robotics In FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge

-New Season Brings FIRST LEGO League Qualifier Tournament

MASTIC BEACH, NEW YORK – Area children ages 9 to 14 are among the over 320,000 children around the world who have risen to the 2019/2020 FIRST® LEGO® League CITY SHAPERSM Challenge. To successfully complete the Challenge, teams of young people must conduct research and build and program a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® robot to explore one of the most relevant topics facing the world today: sustainability. Teams in more than 100 countries will design and construct practical, sustainable and beautiful buildings and spaces, catering to the diverse needs of their users as part of the season Challenge. Through hands-on experience and working in teams, children have a chance to explore a real-world issue to gain an appreciation for and interest in science and technology, and are empowered to make their innovative solutions a reality.

WHAT: Over 2,000 local children on 200 teams go head to head, putting eight weeks of research, design, and programming to the test in a regional Qualifying Tournament to win honors, recognition and advancement to the Long Island Championship.

WHEN: Saturday, January 11, 2020
8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

WHERE: William Floyd High School
240 Mastic Beach Road
Mastic Beach, NY

VISUALS: -Amazing, custom-built LEGO® Mindstorms® robots come to life in fast-paced, timed competitions
-Hundreds of students and their coaches putting designs and skills to the test
-Children interacting with local volunteers and meeting with judges to present their research projects related to the CITY SHAPERSM Challenge
-On-site teamwork, troubleshooting, problem solving
-Learning research projects on display
-Spirit and excitement as students, families, friends cheer for their local teams

*Access to and interviews with students, teachers, coaches, mentors and local sponsors available upon request.

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