Company Provides 3D Design and Engineering Software and Resources to
Students
SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Jan 10, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
For the 19th consecutive year, Autodesk,
Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) is a sponsor of the FIRST(R) Robotics
Competition (FRC(R)) program by contributing its software, mentoring
resources and, for the first time, funding grants to U.S. teams. The FIRST
Robotics Competition challenges high-school students to collaborate and
build a working robot in just six weeks. The annual competition promotes
STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills while inspiring
students to be leaders in tomorrow's engineering workforce.
"Students around the world are hungry for opportunities to apply the
math and science principles they've learned to projects outside the
classroom," said Joe Astroth, Ph.D., Autodesk chief education officer.
"As a longtime supporter of FRC, Autodesk is committed to helping
students develop real-world skills they need to prepare themselves to
solve tomorrow's design and engineering challenges."
More than 2,200 teams consisting of 45,000 high-school students from
around the world will participate in the 2011 FRC competition. As part
of the event's Kit of Parts, each team will receive Autodesk
Inventor 2011 software to design, visualize and simulate their
robots in 3D before construction, saving valuable time and resources
while exploring design alternatives. Using Autodesk Inventor also
exposes students to the same tools and concepts used by the world's
leading engineers. As members of the Autodesk
Education Community, each student also receives free access to the
company's 3D design, engineering and entertainment software and
accompanying resources, including access to a virtual kit of robot parts
modeled in Autodesk Inventor.
For the first time, Autodesk will sponsor 20 teams from the United
States, with grants of $5,000 each, to be used for the competition
registration fee. Autodesk will also honor two teams with the Autodesk
Excellence in Design award at this year's championship event in St.
Louis, Mo., to be held April 27-30, 2011. The award's 3D Design category
recognizes outstanding achievement in design of the FIRST team
robot using Autodesk
Inventor, AutoCAD
or Autodesk
SketchBook Pro software. The award's 3D Animation category honors
the FIRST team that creates the best 30-second 3D animation using Autodesk
3ds Max, Autodesk
Maya or Autodesk
Softimage software - the award-winning tools used by many digital
artists in the media and entertainment industry. The animation must fit
the "Change Their World" theme, while demonstrating understanding of the
design process, storytelling, technical execution, creativity and
aesthetics, as well as clear, concise, and compelling communication.
For more information, visit the Autodesk Education Community's FIRST
competition website at www.autodesk.com/first.
Autodesk Education Initiatives
Autodesk supports students and educators by providing powerful design
software, innovative programs and other resources designed to inspire
the next generation of professionals. By supporting educators to advance
design education and STEM skills, Autodesk is helping prepare students
for future academic and career success. Autodesk supports schools and
institutions of higher learning worldwide through substantial discounts,
subscriptions, grant programs, training, curricula development and
community resources. For more information about Autodesk education
programs and solutions, visit autodesk.com/education.
About Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc., is a leader in 3D
design, engineering and entertainment software. Customers across the
manufacturing, architecture, building, construction, and media and
entertainment industries -- including the last 15 Academy Award winners
for Best Visual Effects -- use Autodesk software to design, visualize
and simulate their ideas. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in
1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of
state-of-the-art software for global markets. For additional information
about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.
Autodesk, AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, Inventor, Maya, SketchBook,
Softimage and 3ds Max are registered trademarks or trademarks of
Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA
and/or other countries. Academy Award is a registered trademark of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All other brand names,
product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk
reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and
specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not
responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in
this document.
© 2011 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.
SOURCE: Autodesk, Inc.
Autodesk, Inc.
Michael Oldenburg, 415-547-2439
michael.oldenburg@autodesk.com
