PRESS ROOM & NEWS

Inventor Dean Kamen, U.S. Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith, and Distinguished Guests Recognize Student Leaders at FIRST Dean’s List Award Ceremony

Winners from California; Florida; Iowa; Louisiana; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Missouri; New York; Ohio; Oklahoma; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Texas; Montreal, Quebec, Canada

ST. LOUIS, MO., April 24, 2015 ― FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an international K-12 not-for-profit organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen, announced 20 student recipients of the Dean’s List Award during a ceremony at the FIRST Championship in St. Louis, Mo.

The Dean’s List Award recipients – FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC®) and FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC®) students nominated by their team Mentors – were chosen based on their leadership skills, commitment to FIRST ideals, contributions to their team, and their effectiveness in increasing awareness of FIRST within their schools and communities.

“I had incredible teachers who showed me the magic of science and technology by letting me do it myself. That’s what FIRST is all about,” said Megan Smith, U.S. Chief Technology Officer. “You, as Dean’s List finalists and winners, are extraordinary leaders. You are the future of this country, and also the current awesomeness of this country.”

Since its introduction in 2010, the Kamen family has sponsored the Dean’s List Award with the hopes that the award winners will continue on as great leaders of the FIRST Alumni community, and as advocates for the FIRST experience.

“It took me 20 years to realize that in addition to all the FIRST awards we have, we needed something to help organize and mobilize our Alumni to share this amazing experience with their peers,” said Dean Kamen, founder, FIRST. “As Dean’s List students, that’s your role. Keep your school and community involved in FIRST, and network with each other. Take this leadership role seriously so we can more quickly make FIRST available to every kid in this country and the world.”

The 2015 Dean’s List Award Winners included:

James Chin

New York, N.Y.

FTC

Emilie Dufour

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

FRC

David Earle

Ann Arbor, Mich.

FRC

Stephen Eckert

Davenport, Iowa

FTC

Cynthia Erenas

Los Angeles, Calif.

FRC

Sarah Fogwell

West Vincent, Pa.

FTC

Alyssa Garcia

Lapeer, Mich.

FRC

Camilo Gonzalez

Boston, Mass.

FRC

Serena Grown-Haeberli

Belmont, Calif.

FTC

Logan Hickox

Gainesville, Fla.

FRC

Laura Irvine

Stillwater, Minn.

FTC

Hannah Liao

Oklahoma City, Okla.

FTC

Alexandra Miller

McHenry, Md.

FRC

Sebastian Orellana

Orlando, Fla.

FRC

Mashroor Rashid

Hazelwood, Mo.

FTC

Cameron Richards

Granville, Ohio

FTC

Ben Rowley

Slidell, La.

FRC

Katherine Thomas

Plano, Texas

FTC

Michael Uttmark

Oak Harbor, Wa.

FRC

Austin Wang

Stanford, Calif.

FTC

Celebrating its sixth year, the Dean’s List Award Ceremony featured: Karen Goudey, Senior Associate Director of Admissions, WPI; Jeremiah Quinlan, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, Yale; Stu Schmill, Dean of Admissions, MIT; and Megan Smith, U.S. Chief Technology Officer and Assistant to the President, Office of Science and Technology Policy, White House.

Winners of the Dean’s List Award will receive a written recommendation from FIRST to the colleges or employers of their choice, and an invitation to attend an all-expense paid trip to the FIRST Dean’s List Award Winners Summit at FIRST Headquarters in Manchester, N.H., this summer.

Media Contacts:

Cheryl Walsh, FIRST
Ph. 603-206-2460
cwalsh@usfirst.org
                           Haley Dunn, FIRST
Ph. 603-666-2494
hdunn@usfirst.org