Published: August 04, 2011
Inventor/FIRST Founder Dean Kamen and will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas Team up for One-Hour ABC Back-to-School Special, August 14, Celebrating Education, Robotics Engineering, Science & Technology
(BUSINESS WIRE) - FIRST:
will.i.am, frontman for The Black Eyed Peas, built a robot and competed in the recent 2011 FIRST Championship with students in St. Louis, Mo. will.i.am filmed his robotics experience with FIRST and created a back-to-school special called i.am FIRST - Science is Rock and Roll, which debuts on The ABC-TV Network on August 14, 7 PM EDT (Check local listings). Photo by Adriana M. Groisman, courtesy of FIRST.
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WHAT:
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Renowned inventor/FIRST
founder Dean
Kamen and The Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am
team up for "i.am.FIRST-
Science is Rock and Roll," a groundbreaking science and
technology entertainment celebration that highlights the 20th
annual FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science
and Technology) Championship
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WHEN:
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Sunday, August 14, 2011
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7:00-8:00 p.m. ET/6:00 - 7:00 p.m. CT
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ABC Television Network
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WHO:
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The star-studded special features live performances by The Black
Eyed Peas and Willow Smith, along with celebrities including
Justin Bieber, Steven Tyler, Bono, Jack Black, Miley Cyrus and
Josh Duhamel speaking out in support of STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math) education. Student teams are profiled as
their robots compete to win coveted FIRST Championship
awards.
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WHY:
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The back-to-school special was created and shot during the FIRST
Championship 2011 including 30,000 students, fans, families,
educators, and industry leaders who came together in St. Louis,
Mo., to celebrate the engineering prowess of talented students
from around the world. More than 600 teams from 29 countries
competed in the three levels of FIRST: FIRST
LEGO League (FLL, grades 4 to 8, nine to 14-year-olds in the
U.S. and Canada; nine to 16-year-olds outside the U.S. and
Canada); FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC, grades
9 to 12, 14 to 18-year-olds); and FIRST Robotics
Competition (FRC, grades 9 to 12, ages 14-18). i.am.FIRST-
Science is Rock and Roll documents the country's best and
brightest students in the FIRST Regional Competitions
leading up to the international FIRST Championship.
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About Dean Kamen and FIRST
Dean Kamen founded FIRST in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of
science and technology in young people. FIRST designs accessible,
innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge and life skills
while motivating young people to pursue STEM. To learn more about FIRST,
go to www.usfirst.org.
About will.i.am
will.i.am is best known as the frontman and producer of the
multi-platinum award-winning group, The Black Eyed Peas. As a musician,
producer, and director, will.i.am is an enthusiastic user of
technologies.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6819859&lang=en

Cone Communications
Maureen O'Connell, 617-939-8330
moconnell@coneinc.com
or
FIRST
Cheryl
Walsh, 603-666-3906, X460
cwalsh@usfirst.org
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