About
The Growth of FIRST Robotics Competition in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota
There were a few FIRST Robotics Competition teams in Minnesota beginning in the mid-1990s, but by the spring of 2006, when FIRST leadership spoke to a large auditorium of Medtronic employees at the company’s headquarters in Fridley, there were only two teams in the state. Speakers highlighted the fact that, in such a technologically minded state as Minnesota, there were not more teams, while there were close to 1,000 teams nationwide. Steve Oesterle, Senior Vice President of Medicine & Technology at the time, committed to drive growth in the state, recruiting the Medtronic Foundation and other companies, including Medtronic competitor Boston Scientific, to fund teams and the program’s infrastructure.
Minnesota Accepts the Challenge
Shortly after, Edina High School established its team (1816, the Green Machine) for the 2006 season, led by recently retired technology industry executive Mark Lawrence. In the years that followed, Mark Lawrence chaired the Minnesota Regional Planning Committee, including the establishment and oversight of five regional competitions and numerous off-season events. He helped secure recognition of the FIRST Robotics program by the Minnesota State High School League—the first statewide sanctioning body of its kind—and provided guidance to teams throughout the year.
Mark’s sister, Susan Lawrence, oversaw field operations for FIRST throughout the Midwest and provided executive-level leadership, fundraising, and FIRST Robotics–specific guidance to Minnesota.
Joining Mark and Susan were Edina Team 1816 mentor and leader Laurie Shimizu, who recruited, built, and managed hundreds of event volunteers, and Ken Rosen, who was mentored by Steve Oesterle and later hired by FIRST. Ken recruited high schools throughout the state to start teams and helped raise funds for both teams and Minnesota’s regional competitions. This four-person team built the foundation of the FIRST Robotics program throughout Minnesota.
Minnesota Shines
Growth was explosive, increasing from two teams in 2006 to 224 in 2020, when the pandemic hit. During its peak years, more than 4,850 students were actively involved on Minnesota teams, and 63.2% of Minnesota high school students—at 231 affiliated schools—had access to a FIRST Robotics team.
More than half of the teams were located at small schools in Greater Minnesota, a region that produces many STEM workers, especially engineers, for Twin Cities manufacturers. For many years, Minnesota has maintained the third-largest contingent of FIRST Robotics teams in the nation, trailing only Michigan and California.
The Dakotas Begin Their Growth
While North Dakota and South Dakota have had teams since 2002 and 2013, respectively, team numbers have remained small. Encouragingly, existing teams in these states are committed to growth and expansion through support of rookie mentors and teams by veteran programs.
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FIRST® inspires young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.
With a full suite of STEM education options from preschool through high school, FIRST® engages PreK-12 (ages 4-18) students in exciting, mentor-based, research and robotics programs. FIRST works because our programs use strategies known to increase student interest in STEM: hands-on learning, working as a team on real-life problems, exposure to careers and adult mentors, emphasis on FIRST Core Values, and a culminating celebration where students can showcase what they created and learned. FIRST participants also develop skills in teamwork, problem solving, and communication, preparing them for success in school and the workforce, no matter what path they take.