Mouser supports youth to help nurture the next generation of engineers.

Mouser Electronics continues its sponsorship of the FIRST® robotics competition, held annually to inspire innovation and develop comprehensive problem-solving skills among tens of thousands of young people.

Mouser is also a major sponsor of the Texas/UIL State Robotics Championships, held April 3-6 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, and will be an official sponsor of the FIRST Championships, held April 17-20 at the same venue.

The FIRST Robotics Competition combines the challenges of science and technology with the fun of sports. Under strict rules and limited time and resources, student teams will collaborate with other teams to build industrial-sized robots capable of playing in challenging environments, while also raising funds to achieve their goals, designing their team brand, and raising respect and awareness for STEM within their communities.

At this year's championship, Mouser will be featuring its sponsor, Team HUGE, and their 250-pound robot in the BattleBots competition at the Innovation Faire. Mouser is also supporting local FIRST teams, including providing financial support to high school teams in Tarrant County, Texas.

“Education has been a core mission of Mouser since we were founded,” said Kevin Hess, Mouser’s Senior Vice President of Marketing. “We began our sponsorship of the FIRST Robotics Competition in 2014 and are honored to be an official sponsor again this year. “FISRT provides students with a platform for innovation and problem solving, opportunities to learn useful engineering skills, and opportunities to develop teamwork, character, and self-esteem,” he said.

Meanwhile, for the past decade, Mouser has been a major sponsor of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a youth-focused nonprofit that advances science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education through hands-on robotics programs that teach problem-solving skills and teamwork.

“The tech world continues to raise the bar on what’s possible,” said Dean Kamen, co-founder of FIRST. “There are millions of jobs out there, but kids who know how to use technology can build careers that aren’t just jobs.”