Television/Radio Appearances | Press Clips | Press Releases
Television/Radio Appearances
March 28, 2009 - NBC New York - Robots Invade Long Island
March 28, 2009 - WCBS - SBPLI-LI FIRST Robotics Competition
March 28, 2009 - Newsday - High School Robotics Competition at Hofstra
January 14, 2008 - News 12
March 20, 2007 - Channel 21 - Learning Curve - "Innovations in Teaching"
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March 28, 2009 - NBC New York
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March 28, 2009 - WCBS Radio 800 Listen to the audio below.
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March 28, 2009 - Newsday.com - High School Robotics Competition at Hofstra
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March 20, 2007 - Channel 21 - Learning Curve - "Innovations in Teaching"
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Press Clips
The Super Bowl of Smarts
North Shore Sun, April 3, 2009
Robotics Win for LI Alliance
Newsday, April 5, 2009
Newsday, March 30, 2007
Super Bowl for Nerds
Machines built by local high-schoolers battle it out at Hofstra
Long Island FIRST Robotics Competition featured in
Long Island Business News
2-27-04. Download article (8MB).
Press Releases
April 22, 2009
SBPLI Announces Award Winners at FIRST Competition and FLL World Festival
April 1, 2009
SBPLI Announces Award Winners at 10th Annual LI FIRST Regional Robotics Competition
January 12, 2009
Port Washington Robotics Team Wins Musical Theme Contest
October 20, 2008
SBPLI-LI FIRST Supports Deer Park Invitational Postseason Event
July 17, 2008
Long Island Students to Receive Scholarships Valued at $223,000
« View 2006 and Older Press Releases
SBPLI ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS AT FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP AND FLL WORLD FESTIVAL
School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) announced that, of the 11 robotics teams from Long Island attending the competitions, four received awards at the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition (FRC) Championship, and another at the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) World Festival, both of which were held April 16-18 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.
In the FRC, Team 263 (Sachem Central School District), “Sachem Aftershock,” won the Xerox Creativity Award. The award celebrates creative design, use of a component, or a creative or unique strategy of play. Whether you want to call it “thinking outside the box” or “pushing the envelope,” this winning team demonstrates that it has creatively gone beyond the norm in tackling this year’s game challenge.
In addition, two teams were division finalists: Team 870 (Southold Jr. & Sr. HS), “Team R.I.C.E,” which won the GM Industrial Design Award at the Long Island FIRST Robotics Competition in March, and Team 329 (Patchogue-Medford), “The Raiders,” winner of the Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Entrepreneurship Award at LI FIRST and a 2009 LI FIRST Regional Finalist. Team 353 (Plainview-Old Bethpage), “POBOTS,” which won the Regional Chairman’s Award at this year’s LI FIRST, was a division quarterfinalist.
In the FLL World Festival, Team 3790 (Girl Scouts of Nassau County), “Ice Breakers,” won the Team Spirit Award. This award goes to the team that most enthusiastically demonstrates a commitment to getting others to see how accessible, fun and rewarding science and technology can be. In January, Team 3790 won the FLL Champion’s Award, the most prestigious award that any team can win, at the SBPLI Long Island Championship Tournament.
Other teams that participated in the FRC Championship included Team 271 (Bay Shore), Team 287 (William Floyd), Team 358 (Hauppauge), Team 533 (Lindenhurst), Team 2638 (Great Neck South) and Team 2875 (Cold Spring Harbor). According to SBPLI, this was the largest contingent from Long Island to participate in the World Championships.
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SBPLI ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS AT 10TH ANNUAL LI FIRST REGIONAL ROBOTICS COMPETITION
School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) announced its award winners at the LI FIRST Regional Robotics Competition at Hofstra University’s David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex (Arena) in Hempstead, New York. The event was held on March 27-28.
More than 1,100 students from 47 high schools from Long Island, the New York metropolitan area, New Jersey and Ohio participated in the competition. Teams received honors and recognition that rewarded design excellence, competitive play, sportsmanship and high-impact partnerships between schools, businesses and communities.
“All teams demonstrated tremendous teamwork, professionalism and strategic thinking, but these winners went above and beyond to overcome the challenges of the competition,” said Fred Breithut, Founder & Chairman of School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, sponsors of the Long Island Regional FIRST Competition. “The fun and excitement of the competition was evident as many students, professional mentors, school groups and community members caught the spirit and came to cheer on their favorite teams as engineering and technology at work surpassed the excitement of a championship athletic event.”
With the hope of winning one of several coveted awards, high school students worked with professional mentors to design and build a robot over a six-week timeframe that solves a problem using a kit of parts and a standard set of rules. The students gathered to compete with their robots in this year’s game, “Lunacy, in which robots are designed to pick up 9-inch game balls and score them in trailers hitched to their opponents' robots for points during a 2-minute, 15-second match. Additional points are awarded for scoring a special game ball, the Super Cell, in the opponents' trailers during the last 20 seconds of the match.
Winners of the SBPLI, Inc. Regional awards include:
| Award | Winner |
| Regional Chairman's Award* (Highest award of the competition) | Team 353, Trio Hardware/Ausco, Inc. & Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District, Plainview, NY |
| Reginal Engineering Inspiration Award (Second highest award of the competition) | Team 1601, GIT General Imaging Technology/The Port Authority of NY & NJ/The White House Restaurant/The Safa Center, New Wave Holistic Health Center/ Airborn Flightware & Aviation High School, Long Island City, NY |
| Regional Winner #1 | Team 496, Port Jefferson Robotics Club, Port Jefferson, NY |
| Regional Winner #2 | Team 2638, Great Neck South High School, Great Neck, NY |
| Regional Winner #3 | Team 287, Brookhaven National Lab & William Floyd HS, Mastic Beach, NY |
| Regional Finalist #1 | Team 353, Trio Hardware/Ausco Inc. & Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District, Plainview, NY |
| Regional Finalist #2 | Team 329, Motorola & Patchogue-Medford High School, Medford, NY |
| Regional Finalist #3 | Team 527, Plainedge High School Red Dragons, No. Massapequa, NY |
| Chrysler Team Spirit Award | Team 564, Longwood High School, Middle Island, NY |
| Delphi "Driving Tomorrow's Technology" Award | Team 1468, BAE SYSTEMS & Hicksville High School, Hicksville, NY |
| General Motors Industrial Design Award |
Team 870, Miller Environmental/Westhampton Glass and Metal/Lewis Marine Supply of Greenport/Westhampton True Value Hardware/Hart’s True Value Hardware/ North Fork Sanitation/Silicon Valley/ Southold PBA/Conway/Port of Egypt Marine/Southold Agway, Southold, NY |
| Johnson & Johnson Gracious Professionalism | Team 358, Festo/East-West Industries & Hauppauge High School, Hauppauge, NY |
| Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Entrepreneurship Award | Team 329, Motorola & Patchogue-Medford High School, Medford, NY |
| Motorola Quality Award | Team 102, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics & Somerville High School, Somerville, NJ |
| Rockwell Automation Innovation in Control Award | Team 271, AUDIBLE.COM/BAE Systems/Verizon/Bad Boys From Bay Shore Ltd. & Bay Shore High School, Bay Shore, NY |
| Xerox Creativity Award | Team 810, Smithtown Schools, Smithtown, NY |
| Highest Rookie Seed Award | Team 2875, Cold Spring Harbor High School, Cold Spring Harbor, NY |
| Imagery Award | Team 1358, Macarthur Generals, Levittown, NY |
| Underwriters Laboratory Industrial Safety Award | Team 2638, Great Neck South High School, Great Neck, NY |
| Rookie All Star Award | Team 2875, Cold Spring Harbor High School, Cold Spring Harbor, NY |
| Rookie Inspiration Award | Team 2869, NASA & Bethpage Union Free School District, Bethpage, NY |
| Website Award | Team 353, Trio Hardware/Ausco Inc. & Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District, Plainview, NY |
| Judges Award | Team 287, Brookhaven National Lab and William Floyd High School, Mastic Beach, NY |
| Judges Award | Team 533, ITT Industries/BAE SYSTEMS/L3 Communications Narda Microwave & Lindenhurst Senior High School, Lindenhurst, NY |
| Musical Theme | Team 1803, Paul D. Schreiber H.S., Port Washington, NY |
| Greening Award | Team 871, West Islip High School, West Islip, NY |
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* The Chairman’s Award is the most prestigious award of the event and recognizes the team that embodies the goals and purpose of FIRST and best represents a model for other teams to emulate. In addition to the awards given by LI FIRST Regional, SBPLI named Jim Stephenson, Nick Amoruso and Will Recce as Outstanding Volunteers of the year. The Fred Breithut Award went to Daniel Brooks of Longwood High School Robotics Team #564. Debbie Lang, mentor for the Longwood High School Robotics Team #564, received the Woodie Flowers Award. Major sponsors for this year’s competition were are New York State Sen. Owen Johnson, FESTO, Hofstra University, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Other sponsors include Stony Brook University, Farmingdale State College, DeVry College of New York, and Ziehm Medical, LLC. |
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SBPLI Celebrates 25 Years in its Mission of Preparing Students for Careers in Science and Technology
10th Annual LI FIRST Regional Robotics Competition Set for March 27-28
Now in its 25th year, School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) is celebrating its 10th year of sponsoring the Long Island FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Regional Robotics Competition. The competition will be held at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex (Arena) at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 27, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 28. Students from 47 high schools from Long Island and the metropolitan area will compete for honor and recognition that reward design quality, sportsmanship, competitive play, and high-impact partnerships among schools, businesses, and communities.
FIRST was founded by inventor Dean Kamen, who introduced the Segway™ Human Transporter (HT). He created FIRST with a goal to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people, their schools, and communities. This year, the FIRST Robotics Competition will reach more than 33,000 high-school-aged young people on about 1600 teams in regional events representing every state in the United States and several other countries, including Israel and Brazil. More than 1,100 students will compete in the Long Island Regional to earn a spot at the Championship event on April 16-18, 2009 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA.
"We are extremely excited to see what our participants for the FIRST Robotics Competition have come up with this year," said Fred Breithut, Chairman and Founder of SBPLI, and sponsor of the Long Island FIRST Regional Robotics Competition. "This event is an imperative stepping stone for students. For some, it's a chance to take part in making a vision become a reality. For others, it opens the door to possibilities that are few and far between these days, like scholarships or job opportunities. Most importantly, this competition is a chance to instill within students a vital concept to achieving success; anything is possible if you put your mind to it."
Over a six-week timeframe, students work with their professional mentors to design a robot using a "kit of parts" and a standard set of rules. Once these young inventors create their 130-pound robots, their teams participate in regional competitions that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration and the determination of students. Students received their kit of parts on January 3 and had until February 17 to complete their robot. This year's competition is a game called "Lunacy."
In "Lunacy," robots are designed to pick up 9-inch game balls and score them in trailers hitched to their opponents' robots for points during a 2-minute, 15-second match. Additional points are awarded for scoring a special game ball, the Super Cell, in the opponents' trailers during the last 20 seconds of the match. "Lunacy" is played on a low-friction floor, which means teams must contend with the laws of physics. The wheels and playing surface have been designed to simulate the weightlessness in the moon's atmosphere.
Since its beginning, FIRST has had a positive impact on students and academic communities. Surveys conducted by the Center for Essential Management Services found that participating students' attitudes about science, math, teamwork and the working world significantly improved after participating. The students' self-images also improved. Also, interest in internship and employment opportunities with sponsoring local companies increased.
This season, participating FIRST students are also eligible to apply for over $9 million in scholarships from leading universities, colleges and companies that will be announced at the FIRST Championship in April. Through their participation in the 2008 competition, Long Island students walked away with about $600,000 in college scholarships. Patchogue-Medford High School received the Regional Chairman's award last year, the highest honor of the competition. It is awarded to the team that exemplifies FIRST's purpose and goals, thereby making the recipient an example of what other teams should follow.
SBPLI was founded in 1984 by Fred Breithut to develop partnerships between local high schools and businesses that would provide students with practical experience, while helping the business community develop its future workforce. More than 100 partnerships have been formed. In 1999, Long Island FIRST was formed for the purpose of developing a Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics competition. The Long Island Regional has since grown with 47 teams registered for the 2009 competition. The increase in participation among high school students and local business demonstrates the importance of supporting the Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition.
The SBPLI - L.I. FIRST sponsors and volunteers come from some of the most highly regarded companies and organizations in the Long Island region. This year's major sponsors are New York State Sen. Owen Johnson, FESTO, Hofstra University, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Other sponsors include Stony Brook University, Farmingdale State College, DeVry College of New York, and Ziehm Medical, LLC.
FESTO, a local corporation and ten-year supporter provides mentors to a number of local teams. "We have found that this competition truly works to inspire our young people to pursue careers in the engineering field," said Mike Cybulski, President/CEO of FESTO. "The students of today are the workforce of tomorrow. We owe it to the communities we live in to help with this event."
Mr. Breithut is asking local businesses to consider joining Mr. Cybulski and other Long Island technology leaders in supporting this year's competition. Companies interested in sponsoring the 2009 Long Island Regional Competition, or those that would like more information about the Robotics competition, can contact Fred Breithut at (631) 692-2962.
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Port Washington Robotics Team Wins Musical Theme Contest
William Recce (left), principal of School Construction Corporation and a member of School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) board of directors, congratulates Alexander Costenoble, a member of the Port Washington High School Robotics Team 1803 for its winning musical theme at the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics competition kickoff on January 3 at Stony Brook University’s Jacob Javits Center. Alexander accepted the award on behalf of the composer of the winning theme, Jonathan Janis, who was not in attendance.
There were 13 entries for this contest. Other teams included Patchogue-Medford, Smithtown, Plainedge, Walt Whitman, Southold, Baldwin, Great Neck South, Wheatley and Sayville, and McArthur, which submitted three entries.
The winning entry was chosen by the members of the SBPLI board. Students worked with their mentors on the Robotics team, and even with staff members of the high school’s music department. Port Washington will receive a $1,000 check at the Long Island Regional championship on March 27-28, 2009 at Hofstra University.
Listen to the winning theme music below.
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School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. Kicks Off 2009 Season of the FIRST Robotics Competition on January 3
School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) announces the 2009 season for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics competition will kick off on January 3, 2009. Forty Long Island teams will meet at Room 100 in the Jacob Javits Center at Stony Brook University to learn about the game.
The students will receive their instructions via satellite transmission from FIRST headquarters in New Hampshire. They will then pick up their kits of parts to begin the 42-day period of designing and building their robots. They will compete at the Long Island Regional championship, which will take place March 27-28, 2009 at Hofstra University. Some of them will compete at the 2009 National Championship event at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta from April 16-18.
As they construct their robots, students will learn important concepts such as teamwork, problem solving and healthy competition. They will also gain an interest in mathematics and engineering as they graduate high school and go on to college. From there, they will enter the fields of science, engineering or technology.
“The FIRST Robotics Competition is not just about the design and building of sophisticated robots. These students also develop maturity, professionalism, teamwork and mentoring skills that enrich their lives,” said Fred Breithut, President of School-Business Partnerships of Long Island (SBPLI) and sponsor of the Long Island FIRST Regional Robotics Competition. “Many of our students develop an affinity for their science and math courses, go on to study engineering, technology or science in college, and also pursue employment opportunities with sponsoring companies.”
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Fourth Annual Deer Park Invitational Showcases Teamwork, Problem Solving & Friendly Competition
More Than 20 Teams Join In All-Day Robotics Competition
Melville, NY (October 25, 2008) — Students from more than 20 participating Long Island high schools took part in the Fourth Annual Deer Park Invitational, a preseason robotics competition sponsored by the School Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI), \ FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and the Deer Park Union Free School District. The daylong competition fostered goodwill amongst the students, working together as they solved intricate problems and engaged in friendly competition.
Of the 22 teams competing in the intellectually stimulating event, Cold Spring Harbor, Bethpage and The Wheatley School, the pre-rookie teams, which used borrowed robots. At the invitational, teams were aligned together to navigate their 135-pound robots around a racetrack with an overpass, have their robots and track balls cross a finish line on the track, and position the track balls on the overpass at the end of the match.
School administrators and parents were on hand to cheer on the competitors. Winners of the invitational were the three-team alliance of Team 271 from Bay Shore, Team 1803 from Port Washington and Team 2875 from Cold Spring Harbor. Finalists included Team 353 from Plainview-Old Bethpage, Team 1546 from Baldwin and Team 2847 from Sayville.
"We planned this event not only as a competition about the design and building of sophisticated robots, but as an opportunity to create an atmosphere whereby students can also develop maturity, professionalism, teamwork and mentoring skills, thereby enriching their lives and pointing them in the direction of an engineering career. We were not disappointed," said Fred Breithut, founder of SBPLI.
“It was wonderful to have been able to provide an opportunity to include rookie teams, giving them a chance to gain practical experience, while competing with veteran teams,” said Janet Anderson, director of the LI FIRST robotics program. “It is always our hope that students will be inspired to turn their affinity for science and math into a career path, leading them to study engineering, technology or science in college.”
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SBPLI-LI FIRST Supports Deer Park Invitational Postseason Event
Competition Showcases Benefits of Robotics Programs on Students, Community
(Deer Park, NY) — With school districts managing rising costs and tighter budgets, important programs face cuts or elimination. The School Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. is highlighting the importance of middle school and high school robotics programs with its support of the Fourth Annual Deer Park Invitational. The post season robotics competition is to be held in the gymnasium at Deer Park High School on Saturday, October 25 from 9:00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
School robotics programs immerse youngsters in the science of physics and the field of engineering. They provide an enjoyable, engaging learning environment and they enhance problem solving skills, cooperation and teamwork.
The Invitational is designed to showcase the benefits of robotics programs on students, schools and their communities. Residents, teachers and administrators from Deer Park and other Long Island school districts are invited to attend.
"The competition is not just about the design and building of sophisticated robots. These students also develop maturity, professionalism, teamwork and mentoring skills that enrich their lives," said Fred Breithut, founder of School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. "Many of our students develop an affinity for their science and math courses, go on to study engineering, technology or science in college."
Teams from 18 high schools have entered the competition thus far: Deer Park, Hauppauge, Lindenhurst, Baldwin, Sayville, Bay Shore, Miller Place, Patchogue-Medford, Hicksville, Copiague, Smithtown, West Islip, Port Washington, Plainview-Old Bethpage, Comsewogue, Longwood, Sachem, and Roosevelt. In addition, The Wheatley High School, as well as Bethpage, Cold Spring Harbor, and Harborfields high schools have been invited to participate as pre-rookies using robots borrowed from experienced teams.
Participating teams will be using the robots they built for the 2008 regional competition, held at Hofstra University in March. At the event, students will navigate their robots, some weighing as much as 135 pounds, to shoot balls into a goal and drive the robot up a ramp onto a platform. The competition runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; qualifying rounds will take place in the morning and elimination rounds will follow in the afternoon.
“We invite other potential rookie teams to join us, work with veteran teams, and have the opportunity to drive a robot to give them a flavor for the program which they would not otherwise have,” said Janet Anderson, Director of the LI FIRST Robotics Program.
For more information on the Deer Park Invitational, or to find out how to register a team for the competition, call Chuck Burg of Deer Park High School at 631-274-4100.
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School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. Marks Dual Anniversaries of Preparing Students for Workforce Careers
The School Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) is proud to announce its 25/10 year anniversary — an anniversary celebrating 25 years of inaugurating and developing school-business partnerships, and 10 years of sponsoring the LI FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics competition to better prepare students for entering the workforce and establishing their career paths in math, science-engineering and technology fields.
“We were the first organization to introduce the concept and development of school partnerships on Long Island,” said Fred Breithut, SBPLI’s president and founder. “We are very proud to celebrate our 25th anniversary and 10th anniversary for SBPLI and LI FIRST Robotics, respectively.”
The School-Business Partnerships of Long Island is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 1984 establishing programs which link high schools and businesses throughout Long Island. Since then, the critical mission of SBPLI has been to impact the schools with the skills necessary for their success in helping students to be successful in their post-secondary/college careers.
In 1999, SBPLI founded LI FIRST for the purpose of developing a Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics competition. The Long Island Regional has grown from 8 teams (school districts) in 1999 to 46 in 2008. The increase in participation among high school students and local business demonstrates the importance of supporting the Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition.
“Over the past 25 years, the mission of the SBPLI has evolved,” said Fred Breithut, founder of SBPLI. “The LI FIRST Robotics competition has also proven to be a huge success, in terms of getting schoolchildren interested in the fields of science and technology. This will make our region and our country more competitive in the global workforce of the future.”
School Construction Consultants, Inc. of Bohemia has been involved in many SBPLI projects over the years. “SBPLI has pioneered the concept of connecting local business leaders, who have benefited from being a part of Long Island commerce and industry, with school district students and administration,” said William Recce, a principal with School Construction Consultants, Inc. “The advantages are on both sides. The students benefit from programs that enrich their lives and continue their growth. Businesses benefit from the development of young men and women who will one day become an important contributing member of the Long Island workforce and community.”
“Being a part of the LI FIRST Robotics Competition enables us to work first-hand with the leaders of tomorrow. Having an impact on these students and possibly impacting their career decisions toward math and science is extremely rewarding,” Mr. Recce said. “It is our hope that fostering a love of technology and related fields will help steer them toward rewarding careers that will enable them to choose to remain a part of the Long Island community.”
“The School Business Partnership of Long Island, Inc. Long Island FIRST Robotics program is an amazing example of students working with students, school staff and professional engineers in a competitive environment that combines technological and engineering knowledge with sportsmanship, professionalism, strategic thinking and, most of all, teamwork,” said Patricia Sullivan-Kriss, Superintendent of Schools, Hauppauge Union Free School District. “Our district is proud to be among the many Long Island school districts that sponsors a robotics team and robotics club. We know that we are creating life-long memories as well as career focuses for our students!”
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School Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. Honors 60 Long Islanders Over The Age Of 60 In Upcoming Fundraiser
Fred Breithut, Founder and President of Melville-based School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, is working to gain recognition for Long Islanders who, even at the age of 60 and over, are still contributing to making the Long Island way of life one of the finest in the nation.
In an effort to bolster Mr. Breithut's efforts to recognize those older individuals in Long Island, SBPLI will have its "Sixty Over Sixty" Awards Gala on Thursday, October 23, 2008, at Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. New York State Senator Owen H. Johnson will be named SBPLI's Lifetime Honoree. The Sixty Over Sixty gala is sponsored by Senator Johnson, FESTO, BAE Systems, Ziehm Medical, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, School Construction Corporation, Nassau Educators Federal Credit Union, Better Home Health Care, accessLinx, Inc., Event Journal, Crest Hollow Country Club and Intelligent Office – Garden City.
Over 80 people were nominated for this prestigious award. "I'm 83 years old and one thing I've realized is that there are a lot of good people around the Island who have not been recognized for their contribution to making this Island a great place to live," Mr. Breithut said.
The funds raised will support the SBPLI and its FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics and Lego League competitions. SBPLI's FIRST Robotics Competition is a two-day culminating event that is preceded by a six-week event dedicated to building a 130-pound robot in each school district within a six-week timeframe. Each year, SBPLI must raise $200,000.00 to pay for the event. Senator Johnson's office has been a major supporter of this program. Financial assistance has also come in the way of sponsorships by Northrop Grumman, FESTO, BAE Systems, DeVry University, Farmingdale State College, Stony Brook University, Washington Mutual Bank and others.
While SBPLI is 25 years old, its current flagship program, Long Island FIRST is entering its 10th year in 2009. The U.S. FIRST Robotics was started in 1989 by inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen. In 2000, SBPLI held its first Long Island regional tournament — the first of its kind in New York State, according to Mr. Breithut. By 2009, the Long Island Regionals will have 45-50 teams (school districts) participating. Those that qualify will go on to the championships in Atlanta, Georgia.
SBPLI became involved in the FIRST Robotics competition as a way for high school students to garner interest in the science and technology fields. "The Sixty Over Sixty gala will help us raise funds to allow this program to grow and reach more of our region's young people. We're honoring Long Island's older generation, who have helped make our region a great place to live, and in doing so, raising funds to help build a future generation of science and technology leaders. It's a nice circle," Mr. Breithut said.
Tickets for the Sixty Over Sixty Awards Gala are available for $125.00 per person or $1,125.00 per table if purchased before August 15. After that date, tickets are $150.00 per person, or $1,350.00 per table.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available. A Headline Sponsor is $50,000.00, and $25,000.00 for a Leadership Sponsor. Other opportunities include Knowledge Sponsor ($15,000.00), Teamwork Sponsor ($10,000.00), Confidence Sponsor ($7,500.00), Experience Sponsor ($5,000.00) and Motivation Sponsor ($3,500.00).
Journal advertisement opportunities are also available. For those who are interested in a Platinum Ad, the cost is $2,500.00, and a Gold Ad costs $2,000.00. Other opportunities include a Silver Ad ($1,500.00), Bronze Ad ($1,000.00), Copper Ad ($500.00) and Friends Ad ($250.00). Checks and credit cards are accepted. All checks should be made payable to SBPLI.
For questions and assistance, call (516) 997-1950, or email at lori@hjmt.com.
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Long Island Students to Receive Scholarships Valued at $223,000
(Melville, NY) The School - Business Partnerships of Long Island (SBPLI), sponsor of the Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition is proud to announce that six Long Island high school students from the 2007-2008 LI-First Robotics competition have been awarded scholarships, valued at $223,000, from accredited institutions in the field of technology.
The six students, Wayne Young, Comsewogue; Hector Flores, Great Neck South; Nicholas Joniak, West Babylon; Jonathan Kriss, Plainview; Anthony Giovanelli, Baldwin; and Michael Delph, Comsewogue were awarded combined scholarships in the amount of $223,000 over four years. Young and Flores were awarded $9,000 over three years from Devry University in Phoenix and Devry College of New York, respectively; Joniak was awarded $1,500 per year from Hofstra University; Kriss was awarded $6,000 per year from RIT; Giovanelli was awarded $10,000 per year from the University of Delaware; while Delph was awarded a full scholarship valued at $135,000 from WPI.
This season, participating FIRST students were eligible to apply for over $9 million in scholarships from leading universities, colleges and companies. Since the 2002 competition, Long Island students walked away with several million dollars, combined, in college scholarships. With additional scholarships yet to be announced, the amount of scholarships awarded to Long Island students is likely to grow. As a source of scholarships, the program surpasses Intel’s International Science and Engineering Fair.
"The FIRST Robotics Competition is not just about the design and building of sophisticated robots. These students also develop maturity, professionalism, teamwork and mentoring skills that enrich their lives," said Fred Breithut, President of School-Business Partnerships of Long Island (SBPLI) and sponsor of the Long Island FIRST Regional Robotics Competition. "Many of our students develop an affinity for their science and math courses, go on to study engineering, technology or science in college, and also pursue employment opportunities with sponsoring companies."
Since its beginning, FIRST has had a positive impact on students and academic communities. Surveys conducted by the Center for Essential Management Services found that participating students' attitudes about science, math, teamwork and the working world significantly improved after participating. The students' self image also improved, particularly among minority groups. Also, interest in internships and employment opportunities with sponsoring local companies increased.
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REGIONAL WINNERS OF SBPLI-LI FIRST ROBOTICS COMPETITION RECEIVE RECOGNITION FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
Teams Advance to Championship, Others Win Honors for Design, Sportsmanship, Partnership
Hofstra University's Arena to watch 46 teams of high school students compete at the SBPLI, Inc. Long Island Regional Robotics competition. The students’ goal was to earn a spot at the FIRST Championship, to be held April 17 through 19 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA. Teams received honors and recognition that rewarded design excellence, competitive play, sportsmanship and high-impact partnerships between schools, businesses and communities.
"All teams demonstrated tremendous teamwork, professionalism and strategic thinking, but these winners went above and beyond to overcome the challenges of the competition," said Fred Breithut, Founder & Chairman of School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, sponsors of the Long Island Regional FIRST Competition. "The fun and excitement of the competition was evident as many students, professional mentors, school groups and community members caught the spirit and came to cheer on their favorite teams as engineering and technology at work surpassed the excitement of a championship athletic event."
With the hope of winning one of several coveted awards, high school students worked with professional mentors to design and build a robot over a six-week timeframe that solves a problem using a kit of parts and a standard set of rules. The students gathered to compete with their robots in this year's game, "Overdrive." "Overdrive" is played by two three-team alliances. The object of "Overdrive" is for the robots to race around a track in a counter-clockwise direction manipulating trackballs to earn points. The points are determined within two scoring periods; Hybrid - where digital signals are sent to the robots by robocoaches in the first 15 seconds of play, and Teleoperated-where the robots are radio controlled by team operators during the next 2 minutes of play.
Winners of the SBPLI, Inc. Regional awards include:
| Award | Winner |
| Regional Chairman's Award* (Highest award of the competition) | Team 329, Patchogue-Medford High School, Medford, NY |
| Reginal Engineering Inspiration Award (Second highest award of the competition) | Team 1594, Brearley High School & Chapin High School, New York, NY |
| Regional Winner #1 | Team 2487, Sayville High School, West Sayville, NY |
| Regional Winner #2 | Team 2010, Champion High School, Warren, OH |
| Regional Winner #3 | Team 102, Somerville High School, Somerville, NJ |
| Regional Finalist #1 | Team 358, Hauppauge High School, Hauppauge, NY |
| Regional Finalist #2 | Team 533, Lindenhurst Senior High School, Lindenhurst, NY |
| Regional Finalist #3 | Team 1803, Paul D. Schreiber High School, Port Washington, NY |
| Chrysler Team Spirit Award | Team 287, William Floyd HS, Mastic Beach, NY |
| Delphi "Driving Tomorrow's Technology" Award | Team 1751, Comsewogue High School, Port Jefferson Station, NY |
| General Motors Industrial Design Award | Team 271, Bay Shore High School, Bay Shore, NY |
| Johnson & Johnson Gracious Professionalism | Team 1468, Hicksville High School, Hicksville, NY |
| Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Entrepreneurship Award | Team 102, Somerville High School, Somerville, NJ |
| Motorola Quality Award | Team 533, Lindenhurst Senior High School, Lindenhurst, NY |
| Rockwell Automation Innovation in Control Award | Team 375, Staten Island Technical High School, Staten Island, NY |
| Xerox Creativity Award | Team 870, Southold High School, Southold, NY |
| Highest Rookie Seed Award | Team 2487, Sayville High School, West Sayville, NY |
| Imagery Award | Team 522, Mckee Vocational High School, Staten Island, NY |
| Underwriters Laboratory Industrial Safety Award | Team 2010, Champion High School, Warren, OH |
| Rookie All Star Award | Team 2638, Great Neck South High School, Great Neck, NY |
| Rookie Inspiration Award | Team 2487, Sayville High School, West Sayville, NY |
| Website Award | Team 2487, Sayville High School, West Sayville, NY |
| Judges Award | Team 570, Glen Cove High School, Glen Cove, NY |
| Judges Award | Team 1358, The Macarthur High School Generals, Levittown, NY |
| Musical Theme | Team 358, Hauppauge High School, Hauppauge, NY |
| Greening Award | Team 871, West Islip High School, West Islip, NY |
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* The Chairman's Award is the most prestigious award of the event and recognizes the team that embodies the goals and purpose of FIRST and best represents a model for other teams to emulate. In addition to the awards distributed by FIRST Regional, SPBLI also recognized Michael Lang of the Great Neck South team of Fred Breithut Regional MVP Award. The Long Island FIRST Regional Competition is run by the School-Business Partnerships of Long Island (SBPLI). *** Descriptions of the criteria of each award are available upon request. **** Photos from the event are available upon request. |
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