Five-foot tall, 130-pound, radio-controlled robots will begin to come to life at NJIT Saturday, when hundreds of high school students will be given kits from which they must build and design the robots. "This kick-off event sets the clock ticking and the teams will run back to their schools to start figuring out ways to have their robots win this year's game," said Randy Schaeffer, FIRST regional director for New York City and New Jersey, which is based at NJIT. >>

NJIT President Robert A. Altenkirch presented an award to Randy Schaeffer, FIRST regional director for New York City and New Jersey, at a volunteer awards ceremony on April 27, 2005. Nine high-school teams from Newark, all coached by students and technicians from NJIT, competed in the New Jersey FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Regional Robotics Competition in March. FIRST is a nonprofit organization dedicated to introducing young people to the excitement of science, math, engineering and technology. >>