"NASA is constantly seeking out innovative ways to inspire students and spark an interest in science, Technology and engineering. We need these students to help us build the next generation of spacecraft to explore the solar system, and the nation needs them to build the next-generation economy," said Dave Lavery, program executive for the Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters. "FIRST and NASA have found a unique way to create that spark and glean the raw engineering talent found in our high schools."

NASA's Robotics Alliance Project (RAP)
To increase the Robotic expertise, RAP was created and is supported through NASA's Science Mission Directorate. RAP's goal is to bring ogether students, engineers, private organizations and other government resources to pursue the goal of increasing robotics expertise and Automation in the United States. NASA personnel across the country volunteer their time as team mentors.

"Robotics has traditionally been a male-dominated field," said Wendy Holforty, NASA engineer and Space Cookies mentor. "We wanted to give young women as many opportunities as possible to show that they have the aptitude and capability for the rigorous math and engineering skills necessary for robotics and other engineering fields."

FIRST Robotics competitions
In one innovative partnership with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and industry partners are holding 33 regional FIRST Robotics competitions to determine the best high school robotics teams. NASA provides technical and logistics support to the competitions and also sponsors six events. Selected events will be broadcast on NASA TV

For more information about FIRST Robotics and regional competition dates and locations, visit:
http://www.usfirst.org
For more information about NASA's Robotics Alliance Project, visit:
http://robotics.nasa.gov

Tech Materials (Free)

Robot Behaviors Exploring the T-Maze: Evolving Learning-Like Robot Behaviors using CTRNNs
Humanoid Robotics A Biochemical Subsystem for a Humanoid Robot
Industrial Automation Systems Applying Agents for Engineering of Industrial Automation Systems
Robot Team Cooperation A Descriptive Model of Robot Team and the Dynamic Evolution of Robot Team Cooperation
Kuka Robots For ONU ONU Robotics Technology Center of Excellence, powered by KUKA Robotics Corporation
Augmented reality Annotation System for Robotic Application
Modular Robots Self-Reconfiguration Planning Of Identical Modules
Autonomous robots A New Approach To Robotics
Robotic Mounting Flat Panel Displays With Robotic Mounting
Calibration of Industrial Robots A Photogrammetric Robot Calibration System Based On Off-The-Shelf Low Cost Hardware Components

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Amazon Books

	Creative Projects with LEGO Mindstorms by Benjamin Erwin Buy new: $20.64 / Used from: $13.00 A good place to start, especially for kids, with Lego Mindstorms
	A Practical Guide to Behavior-Based Robotics by Joe Jones Buy new: $20.67 / Used from: $15.13 Very good for programming not so much behavior as control. Language and controller agnostic