University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario, March 9-10, 2012---- University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, March 23-24, 2012---- Hershey Centre, Mississauga, Ontario, March 30-31, 2012

TORONTO--Over the course of the next several weeks, students from 94 high schools (78 from Ontario, 8 from Quebec, 2 from Alberta, 4 from the United States and 2 from Mexico) will take part in the FIRST Robotics Competition - the largest high school robotics competition in Canada. The events will be held at the University Of Ontario Institute Of Technology (Main Gymnasium), the University of Waterloo (Physical Activities Complex) the Hershey Centre in Mississauga. Students will compete for awards and for spots at the 2011 World Championship event, to be held at the Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri - April 25 - April 28, 2012.

Highlights:

*Students have six weeks to design, build, and test a robot that can weigh up to 150 pounds, have up to 22 motors and that fit into strict design guidelines.
*New for 2012! Judges will be equipped with BlackBerry PlayBook tablets from Research In Motion to aid in their two days of judging.
*Robots must work both cooperatively and in competition in a game that challenges the limits of the robots and the students.
*Over $14 million in scholarships available including York University, The University of Waterloo, and The University of Toronto

Members of the media are invited to see the robots competing and meet the students and their teams. The event is open to the public with free admission and parking.

2012 FIRST Robotics Canada Event Sponsors:
Platinum: Research In Motion
Gold: Bruce Power, Hatch Silver: University of Toronto, SYNNEX Corporation, Thales, TMMC Bronze: Google, Bell, General Motors, Ontario Power Generation, Rockwell Automation, University of Waterloo Pit Sponsor: Magna.

Agenda (for all events)

Fri. - Open Competition
9:00 a.m. Opening Ceremonies
9:00 - 12:00 noon Robotics heats
12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 - 4:45 p.m. Robotics heats
4:45 p.m. Awards Ceremony

Sat. - Open Competition and Playoffs
9:00 a.m. Opening Ceremonies
9:00 - 11:30 noon Robotics heats
12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 - 4:15 p.m. Robotics heats (Playoffs)
4:30 p.m. Awards Ceremony

About FIRST

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an international non-profit organization designed to inspire students to pursue studies and careers in science, engineering, computers and technology. Students develop skills in problem solving, leadership and teamwork as well as design, manufacturing, programming and testing. FIRST's programs reach 212,000 students in 56 countries. FIRST Robotics Canada, which was started in 2002, now reaches over 10,000 Canadian students.