April 28, 2016 - Twenty-one members heard a presentation by EWU math professor Dr. Dale Garaway.  He spoke about the FIRST robotics competition that is held every year at EWU.  FIRST is an acronym: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.  It is a worldwide program and the US portion is linked to $30 million in scholarships.  There are several different levels of competition for kids from under age 9 to high school seniors.  It is a sports themed competition that focuses on STEM concepts (science, technology, engineering and math).  Themes include gracious professionalism and 'coopertition' - competing and cooperating.  Coopertition examples include teams that compete in one event later combining their efforts in another event or teams sharing ideas and materials even when competing.