And really it's no wonder.

"These events are like the Olympics of recruiting for us," said Bob Nichols, director of external affairs. "The kids who participate in FIRST are far more interested in careers in engineering, science and mathematics than other students their age."

The events are also just plain fun, with teams of high school students vying to put their robots through the paces of a complex game, in an atmosphere with all the trappings of a big-time sports event -- team colors, bands, cheerleaders and officials.

FIRST is an acronym for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. The organization was founded by inventor Dean Kamen to boost interest in science, technology and mathematics careers among high schoolers.

Kettering got into FIRST in 1998. That year, Nichols said, a Kettering alumnus brought the event to the school's attention, and a student from Flint Powers Catholic High School came to Kettering looking for the university to sponsor a team. "Those things happened within a couple of weeks of each other," Nichols said.

Thus was born Kettering's first team, Team No. 70, the Auto City Bandits.

A couple of years later, Kettering became one of the first schools in the United States to begin offering scholarships to FIRST team participants. Today, FIRST team members are eligible for more than $10 million in special scholarships at universities around the country.

Nine years ago, Kettering also established an off-season event called the Kettering Kickoff, because the FIRST folks felt Kettering didn't have the facilities for a regional competition.

This year, Kettering finally got to host one, though -- a new idea in FIRST, a "Rookie Regional" for first-year teams. The competition was scaled down from the normal $6,000 price tag for a FIRST regional to $500 in order to make it easier for more schools to compete.

Nichols said that's likely the future of FIRST -- smaller and more local competitions that feed their best teams into the regionals, which today are open to anyone with the money.

Nichols said about 30 Kettering employees, both professors and other staffers, volunteer on FIRST competitions. And now that Kettering has been in FIRST for 10 years, it's starting a FIRST alumni club for Kettering alumni and current students. "FIRST events help us find future engineers and scientists, presented in a fun and competitive atmosphere," Nichols said. "Activities are organized by some of the most dedicated and talented volunteers I have ever associated with. They make it fun for everyone."

And FIRST alumni go far. Nichols mentioned one of the first members of Team 70, Timothy Swieter '03, designs rides at Universal Studios and Disney World now.

Nichols said that FIRST "teaches teamwork, and it clearly helps develop leadership. It's very interesting to see freshmen come in on a team that are kind of shy and withdrawn and don't know what to do, vs. seniors who are out there raising money and telling their story and driving the robot."

Nichols said 25 percent of Michigan's high schools are involved in FIRST now, and he'd like to see that doubled.

Kettering will send a team of representatives to the international FIRST competition in Atlanta, April 17-19. To read more about the international championship, visit: www.usfirst.org. To read more about the recent Rookie Regional, visit: www.ketteringroboticscompetition.com.