Purdue FIRST Programs

Vision Statement

"Purdue FIRST Programs will be respected for its contributions to the lives of the people it engages. As an effective leadership team, we will develop and implement sustainable initiatives and events that will provide positive experiences to participants while serving as a model for similar organizations."

Mission Statement

"Purdue FIRST Programs inspires in youth and their communities an appreciation of science and technology, while developing life skills, passion, and leadership through mentoring and hands-on activities that provide opportunities for personal growth."

Members of Purdue FIRST

Purdue FIRST Programs is a student organization at Purdue University. Members of the program work with high school students on the supported robotics teams, organize the regional competition event and raise funds to make all of the magic happen.

Purdue FIRST Sponsored Teams

Purdue FIRST Programs sponsors three teams in the community.

• WBI 461 (ourselves)
• Boiler Precision Guessworks 1646
• Harrison Boiler Robotics 1747

Boilermaker Regional

The crowning event of Purdue FIRST Programs is the holding of the annual FIRST Boilermaker Regional Event at Purdue University with sponsorship from NASA, Rolls-Royce, Indiana Space Grant Consortium, and General Motors. The event was first held in 2005 after two years of planning and with over forty teams attending. The regional was also successfully conducted in 2006. Visit the Boilermaker Regional's homepage.

Purdue FIRST Programs History

Westside Boiler Invasion was started in 1999 as a partnership between Purdue Student Engineering Foundation and the West Lafayette Community School Corporation. In the fall of 2001, FIRST Lego League and the Regional Event Development team were added to the programs. In 2005, Boiler Precision Guessworks (Team 1646) was started at Jefferson High School in conjunction with the Lafayette School Corporation. In 2006, in conjunction with the Tippecanoe School Corporation, the Harrison Boiler Robotics (Team 1747) was started at Harrison High School. Today, Purdue FIRST Programs is its own entity and reaches further into the community than ever before; it has become a role model for similar organizations in the FIRST Community. They are more dedicated than ever before to improving high school students and the community at large.

Important Contact Information

Please feel free to contact Purdue FIRST Programs via telephone, e-mail, or regular mail using the information below.

The office hours are Monday - Friday 9 AM - 4 PM

Purdue FIRST Programs
550 Stadium Mall Drive Rm. G216D
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2051
(765) 496-TECH Office/FAX

E-mail addresses:

• Chelsea Brinton, President
• Kristofer Lindqvist, Vice President
• Benjamin Martin, Treasurer
• Andrea Pluckebaum, Director of Robotics (West Lafayette)
• Kyle Love, Director of Robotics (Jefferson)
• Kyle Perrin, Director of Robotics (Harrison)
• David Lubaway, Director for Regional Events
• Jacob Johnson, Director of Junior Robotics
• Kristina Bender, Industrial Relations Coordinator
• Monica Fernandez, Public Relations Coordinator
• John Downey, Information Technology Coordinator