Charlie
Ackerman’s
approach
to
recruiting
future
engineers
for
automotive
supplier
Robert
Bosch is
similar
to how
Major
League
Baseball
prepares
its
future
stars.
Simplly
put,
they
sponsor
farm
teams
for
future
talent
in eight
states,
Mexico
and
Canada,
mentored
by 73
Bosch
engineers.
( Photo
by
Bosch/Wards)
International
robotics
students
converge
on
Detroit
for the
2018 '
FIRST
Championship'
●
Detroit
to host
the
FIRST
Championship
(For
Inspiration
and
Recognition
of
Science
and
Technology)
in 2018,
2019,
2020
●
$90
million
in
economic
impact
and
120,000
visitors
expected
over
three
years
●
Downtown
Detroit
Partnership
(DDP)
partners
with DTE
Energy
Foundation,
Ally
Bank,
Strategic
Staffing
Solutions
and LEAR
Corporation
to
activate
Downtown’s
parks
and
public
spaces
from
April
20-29 to
showcase
city,
attract
next
generation
of STEM
talent
DETROIT,
APRIL
10, 2018
– For
the
first
time,
the DDP,
in
conjunction
with DTE
Energy
Foundation,
Ally
Bank,
Strategic
Staffing
Solutions
and LEAR
Corporation,
will
welcome
the
FIRST
Championship
global
robotics
competition
to
Detroit
on April
25.
Leading
up to
and
during
the
competition,
visitors
can
participate
in new
STEM
(Science,
Technology,
Engineering
and
Math)-themed
activations
in
Downtown
Detroit’s
parks
and
public
spaces
that
will be
free and
open to
all
beginning
April
20.
The
FIRST
Championship,
which
runs
from
April
25-28 at
COBO
Center
and Ford
Field,
will
bring
40,000
students,
coaches,
mentors
and
family
members
to
Downtown
Detroit.
Nearly
700
qualifying
teams
from
across
the
world
will
compete
in the
culmination
of a
16-week
season
where
K-12
students
prototype,
build,
program
and
operate
robots
to
complete
a task
that
increases
in
difficulty
at each
level.
The
championship,
which
Detroit
will
host
through
2020, is
projected
to
attract
$90
million
in
economic
impact
over the
three
years.
Zannatun
Alim,
left,
and
Mahia
Hossain,
students
at the
Detroit
International
Academy
for
Young
Women,
work on
their
team's
robot
inside
the
University
of
Michigan's
"Michigan
Engineering
Zone"
inside
the
school's
Detroit
center
on March
26,
2018.
Robotics
will
take
center
stage
later
this
month
when
tens of
thousands
of
students
from
across
the
world
descend
on
Detroit
for the
competition.
The
FIRST
Championship
— in
which
student
teams
battle
robots
on a
playing
field —
marks
the
first
time the
event
will be
held in
Michigan,
and it
arrives
in the
Motor
City at
a time
when
interest
and
participation
in
robotics
have
exploded
across
the
state,
organizers
say.
(Photo
by
Detroit
News via
AP David
Guralnick) “The
Downtown
Detroit
Partnership
and our
team of
sponsors
have a
rare
opportunity
to
expose
the next
generation
of
talent
to
Detroit
through
our
world-class
parks
and
public
spaces,”
said
Robert
Gregory,
Chief
Planning
and
Public
Spaces
Officer,
DDP. “We
are
excited
to
activate
the
parks
with
programming
designed
specifically
for
FIRST
teams
and
their
fans and
to
showcase
that
Detroit
is one
of the
nation’s
leaders
in
STEM.”
FIRST
competitors
and
event
attendees
will
find
Downtown
Detroit’s
parks
and
public
spaces
thematically
programmed
with
activities
ranging
from a
pop-up
arcade
complete
with the
world’s
largest
game of
PacMan
to an
ultimate
frisbee
challenge,
life-sized
foosball
matches
and the
Brain
Bowl, a
tech-minded
trivia
test.
Park
activities
will run
from
April
20-29
and will
include
an
extensive
lineup
of food
trucks
with
some
parks
hosting
up to 14
vendors
per day.
Open
to
competitors
and the
public
from 10
a.m. to
10 p.m.
each day
from
April
20-29,
Beacon
Park on
the
western
end of
Downtown
Detroit
will be
the
first to
kick off
the
activations
with a
“Parkade”
- a
completely
free
pop-up
arcade
that
will
feature
more
than 20
classic
games,
each
reinvented
using
2018
technology.
Funded
by the
DTE
Energy
Foundation,
Beacon
Park is
expected
to draw
a strong
contingent
of
Michigan
students,
who lead
the
nation
in FIRST
participation
with
more
than 450
teams.
Teacher
Allison
Schafer,
left,
and
student
Zaakya
Artis,
of Henry
Ford
High
School,
work on
their
team's
robot
inside
the
University
of
Michigan's
"Michigan
Engineering
Zone"
inside
the
school's
Detroit
center
on March
26,
2018.
Robotics
will
take
center
stage
later
this
month
when
tens of
thousands
of
students
from
across
the
world
descend
on
Detroit
for the
competition.
The
FIRST
Championship
— in
which
student
teams
battle
robots
on a
playing
field —
marks
the
first
time the
event
will be
held in
Michigan,
and it
arrives
in the
Motor
City at
a time
when
interest
and
participation
in
robotics
have
exploded
across
the
state,
organizers
say.
(Photo
by
Detroit
News via
AP David
Guralnick)
“The
FIRST
Championship
is an
opportunity
for us
to
connect
tens of
thousands
of
visitors
from
around
the
world to
our
public
spaces
and
highlight
Detroit
as a
leader
in
innovation,
mobility
and
connectivity,”
said
Nancy
Moody,
vice
president
of
Public
Affairs
at DTE
Energy.
“We have
purposefully
programmed
activities
at
Beacon
Park to
engage
students,
families
and
visitors
to
provide
a
welcome
break
during
the
rigorous
competition
weekend
and
ensure a
memorable
experience.”
PROGRAMMING
HIGHLIGHTS
BEACON
PARK
In
addition
to the
“Parkade,”
DTE
Energy
Foundation
will
fund the
world’s
largest
game of
PacMan,
a Rock
‘Em Sock
‘Em
Robot
Challenge
and the
Brain
Bowl, a
trivia
night
for the
tech
minded.
Students
can give
their
brains a
break
through
putt-putt
golf,
ultimate
frisbee,
bumper
bubble
ball
soccer
and a
game
night
hosted
by Vault
of
Midnight.
CAPITOL
PARK
Thanks
to LEAR
Corporation,
Downtown’s
neighborhood
park on
Griswold
and
State
will
offer
virtual
reality
demonstrations
from
premier
Detroit-based
tech and
gaming
companies.
Local
Detroit
music
students
and
artists
will
perform
live
using
cutting
edge
technology
advancements
in the
field.
Visitors
can
order
lunch
from an
abundance
of food
trucks
as they
sit and
enjoy
the
historic
park and
its
surrounding
architecture.
CAMPUS
MARTIUS
PARK,
CADILLAC
SQUARE &
WOODWARD
ESPLANADE
Built by
high
school
robotics
students,
Dr.
Nitro’s
Dessert
Lab and
Mad
Science
Show
will
take
center
stage at
Detroit’s
Gathering
Place.
Students
can
battle
it out
with
robot-assisted
games or
take the
traditional
route
with a
friendly
round of
ping
pong,
chess
and a
variety
of lawn
games.
Cadillac
Square
will
host a
food
truck
rally
with up
to 12
trucks
per day
and a
Detroit
Experience
Factory
Welcome
Center
where
visitors
can
learn
more
about
all
things
Detroit.
GRAND
CIRCUS
PARK
Strategic
Staffing
Solutions
will
give
Grand
Circus
Park
visitors
the
chance
to
unplug
and go
analog
with
life-sized
human
foosball
and
bowling,
bumper-ball
soccer
challenges,
DJ dance
parties,
and
Battlebots
board
games.
Family
friendly
food
truck
options
will be
on hand
to help
the
students
fuel up
for the
their
next
round of
competition.
FEATURED
PROGRAMMING
Presented
by ALLY
Bank,
visitors
will
have the
opportunity
to
experience
technology
innovation
up close
and
personal
through
D-Tron
the
dancing
robot
performances
and the
Beaumont
Art
bike. A
DJ, food
truck
rally,
street
performers
and
oversized
lawn
games
will
offer
endless
entertainment.
Locations
for this
programming
are
being
finalized.
About
Downtown
Detroit
Partnership
Downtown
Detroit
Partnership
strengthens
and
supports
Downtown
Detroit
through
strategic
initiatives
and
programs.
DDP
convenes
business,
philanthropic,
and
government
partners
to
create a
vibrant,
resilient
urban
core for
Detroit
and the
surrounding
community.
For more
information,
visit
downtowndetroitparks.com.
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