Team Leaders, hope all is going well with build.  Below are some mid-build announcements.

Please see the Week Zero events page for scrimmages prior to bagging your robot (https://mnfirst.org/off-season-events/week-0-events/ ).  These events are filling quickly so don’t delay.

MURA (Minneapolis Urban Robotics Alliance)  is hosting a “Week Negative One!” event on February 10th  (9-12  teams -round robin, without ranking points or playoffs).  Additionally, the MURA Practice Field is available Tuesdays and Thursdays (4 pm – 8 pm) and Saturdays (10 – 4pm) moving forward.    All teams are welcome sign up to use the practice field complete with all game elements constructed from wood.  Registration for the field and the scrimmage is at  https://tinyurl.com/y9ghu87x.

For questions and directions contact (herobotics2500@gmail.com ).

MHTA Scholarship – information for your team alumni

Greetings! It is that time of year again!

We are currently accepting applications for the Minnesota High Tech Association Foundation (MHTF) Scholarship. The scholarships are for Minnesota undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. These awards range from $2,500 to $5,000 awards and can include internship opportunities at MHTA member companies. MHTF supports diversity in this application and award process.

We also have Named Scholarships in specific areas supported by our generous sponsors. In the past, we have provided scholarships in Computer Science, STEM Education, Data Science, Women in STEM, Underrepresented Populations in STEM and Women in Computer Science. We encourage you to let students know of this additional and exceptional opportunity.

Eligibility requirements:
–  Must be pursuing an undergraduate degree in a STEM field or in STEM teaching
–  Only students with sophomore through senior academic status in the current school year may apply. Sophomore status may include students who have achieved this status through advanced placement (AP) credit or post-secondary options (PSEO)s
–  Applicants must be enrolled at an accredited, Minnesota-based higher education institution.
– Scholarships will be awarded in the fall term of 2018 and presented to recipients at MHTA’s Tekne Awards in November. Students must be enrolled at time of award.

Special Circumstances
–  In addition to traditional STEM fields, health science majors whose studies will NOT lead to participation in direct patient care are welcome to apply.
–  The scholarship is open to international students, but preference is given to students who intend to work in Minnesota after graduation.
–  Past scholarship winners are eligible to re-apply as long as they meet the rest of the requirements listed here.

Deadline for application is April 1, 2018.

The application form and more detailed information are available at our website. I would like to encourage you to pass the link to any and all qualified students.

Here is the link to the page on our website: http://www.mhta.org/educate/stem-scholarships/

Tim Barrett
Director of STEM Education & Workforce Development
Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA)

Girls Who Code

This summer, the Girls Who Code organization is offering summer camps aimed at girls ages 10 -18.  Camps range from Introduction to Computer Science to iPhone App development. Details can be found on the following pages:

https://mnfirst.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GWC-Short-Campus-2018-Course-Descriptions.pdf

https://mnfirst.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GWC-Twin-Cities-Campus-Courses-.pdf

https://mnfirst.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GWC-Twin-Cities-Info-Sessions-Flyer.pdf

Regards, Mark Lawrence
Chairman, MN FIRST Regional Planning Committee