Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds are scheduled to attend the 2012-13 FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Iowa Kick-Off Celebration—hosted by the University of Iowa College of Engineering—from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 8, at the Iowa Memorial Union, Madison and Jefferson Streets, Iowa City.

Branstad and Reynolds will offer remarks on the event’s theme, “A Celebration of STEM and FIRST in Iowa,” beginning at about 10 a.m. Also scheduled to speak are UI President Sally Mason, University of Northern Iowa President Ben Allen, Iowa State University President Steven Leath, FIRST Chief of Programming Ken Johnson, and Rockwell Vice President J.P. Besong.

The event will include a description of the 2012-13 game and mini workshops on a variety of topics—ranging from a high school student's perspective to lessons learned by a coach—for students, mentors, coaches, and volunteers who plan to participate in the 2012-13 FTC program. It is free and open to the public.

FIRST programs, including Jr. FIRST LEGO League, FIRST LEGO League, and FIRST Tech Challenge, have been coordinated by both Iowa State University and UI. Since January 2010, the UI, in collaboration with the Official National Sponsor, Rockwell Collins, has hosted workshops, training session, kick-off events, and competition events for the FTC teams located in Iowa. Each team, which consists of five to 10 high school students, as well as an adult coach and mentor, design, build, and program a robot. The robots then compete against each other during the FTC-Iowa Championship held at the Iowa Memorial Union in February.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a non-profit organization founded in 1989 by Segway inventor Dean Kamen to encourage student team building skills, entrepreneurship, and "gracious professionalism."

For more information or special accommodations to attend, contact coordinator Rebecca Whitaker at rebecca-whitaker@uiowa.eduor at 319-335-5706. Or visit www.engineering.uiowa.edu/ ess /future-students/k-12/ first-tech-challenge.