August 13, 2014
Arlington, Virginia-based Staff Engineer Steven Gerardi guides a FIRST Championship participant through a flight simulation and rapid prototyping demonstration.
There’s nothing like a great FIRST®impression—and that’s what drives Booz Allen’s involvement with FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). Our staff works with children ages 6 through 18—introducing them to science and technology through exciting programs designed to ignite their imaginations and lead to a lifetime of exploring the world around them.
In the 2013 – 2014 FIRST season Booz Allen sponsored nearly 60 FIRST teams, all coached or mentored by our employees. Employee participation stretches across the firm—from San Diego, CA, Honolulu, HI, and San Antonio, TX, to Norfolk, VA, Lexington Park, MD, and many points in between.
Highlights from Booz Allen’s 2013 – 2014 season include:
- Hosted 3rd Annual Science Expo (September 2013)—1,000+ FIRST LEGO® League (middle school) participants and adults gathered at the US Patent and Trademark Office in Virginia to explore the impact of natural disasters and test solutions to real world problems. Exhibitor organizations included many Booz Allen clients as well Booz Allen’s own disaster management experts.
- Sponsored FIRST Robotics Competition Regionals (March/April 2014)—5,000+ people attended regional events in Richmond and Fairfax, Virginia, and College Park, Maryland.
- Sponsored the FIRST LEGO League Global Innovation Award, and Participated in Judging (February – April 2014)—Booz Allen staff evaluated proposals developed by FIRST LEGO League teams for solutions to problems associated with natural disasters. Students came with ideas like a board game that educates kids about how to survive a tornado, or a helium balloon deployed (up to 100 feet!) to indicate a disaster relief aid location, when all other means of communications are unavailable.
St. Louis-based Senior Associate Eric Druker demonstrates Booz Allen’s PolarisTM productto FIRST Championship participants. Also pictured is Norfolk-based Lead Associate Thomas McNeill, one of FIRST Robotics Competition Team 2963’s mentors.
Booz Allen had an opportunity to create a new FIRST impression this season as well. For the first time, Booz Allen was a sponsor of the global FIRSTChampionship, held in St. Louis, MO, in April 2014. Of the 30 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) teams affiliated with Booz Allen, eight advanced to the FIRSTChampionship!
Senior Associate Eric Druker, represented the firm’s Strategic Innovation Group in our Championship floor booth and demonstrated PolarisTM, one of Booz Allen’s RealTime Analytics Technology products. “The most common reaction I got from students was ‘wow—the things I’m learning in school really can be used in the real world.’ Seeing them make that connection between their computer and math classes, to what we were showing them was very rewarding,” says Eric. Booz Allen staff also demonstrated augmented reality learning applications, mobile games, and a virtual flight simulator, impressing upon kids that theirFIRST experience can lead to a variety of careers, from robotics, game design, even digital animation—and a career at Booz Allen.
The firm also held its first-ever open house at the Chesapeake FIRST Robotics Competition Regional. Dozens of employees and their family members stopped by to learn about FIRST programs and how they can get involved as mentors and participants. In addition, the firm’s recruiting team held a resume review session for University of Maryland students, and employee volunteers ran the Junior FIRST LEGO League Expo (at this and the Fairfax Regional).
“Booz Allen’s participation in FIRST is important to our business. The kids who participate in FIRST are on the road to becoming the STEM professionals we want to hire,” says Bill Thoet, executive vice president and a leader in our advanced engineering business. “But programs like FIRST should be important to all of us. A generation with STEM skills—and the life skills learned in a program like FIRST—is critical to the well-being and growth of our society.”
If you’re a Booz Allen employee and would like to participate in the firm’s FIRST programs, e-mail first@bah.com for more information. If you’re interested in finding FIRSTopportunities in your community, visit http://www.usfirst.org. Working together, we can create a great FIRST impression.
