Our campus was buzzing with energy on January 10th as we proudly hosted ten New Hampshire robotics teams for this year’s FIRST® Robotics kick‑off event. The day marked the official start of the 2026 season, and students arrived ready to dive into the excitement of a brand‑new challenge.
The kick‑off is always a milestone moment for participants, and this year was no exception. Teams gathered to watch the global reveal of the season’s game, which featured inventor and FIRST founder Dean Kamen among others. Kamen started the FIRST program in 1989 to ignite students’ interest in science and technology. After this year’s challenge was unveiled, students picked up their official kits containing everything they need to begin designing, prototyping, and building their robots over the coming weeks.
Beyond the kick‑off festivities, LRCC offered visiting students a chance to explore our campus and get a firsthand look at our Industrial Automation and Robotics programs. Faculty and staff were on hand to answer questions and highlight the many pathways LRCC offers for students interested in technology‑driven careers, including Early College.
Hosting the FIRST Robotics community is always an inspiring reminder of the creativity, teamwork, and problem‑solving that drive both the competition and our own academic programs. We’re proud to support the next generation of innovators and thrilled to be part of their journey.
As teams across the state begin building, we wish them a season full of learning, collaboration, and breakthroughs. We can’t wait to see what they create.