MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - March 16, 2012) - Bombardier, BMO Financial Group, Youth Fusion, FIRST Robotics Québec and Montréal Hooked on School invite you to the opening ceremony and official launch of the first Québec Robotics Festival, a two-day event that will bring together more than 5,000 people and will feature high school and elementary school students taking part in significant technological challenges. This initiative aims to familiarize students with science and new technologies and to encourage young Quebecers to stay in and succeed at school.

The speakers at the opening ceremony will be:

The competitions will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, March 16, and Saturday, March 17. In the FRC Zone for 14- to 18-year-olds, 37 robots will play basketball in a challenge called Rebound Rumble. In the LEGO® Zone for 9- to 13-year-olds, 60 autonomous robots built using LEGO® Mindstorms NXT technology will take on a series of missions developed with the school program in mind.

Attended by representatives of the main partners, which include the J. Armand Bombardier Foundation, the city of Montréal, Montréal Hooked on School, CAE, Hydro-Québec, local school boards, Vigilant Global, Bombardier and BMO Financial Group, the closing ceremony will award prizes to the top winners and honour the participants' efforts by showing their robots in action. The closing ceremony will take place on Saturday, March 17, 2012, at 3:30 p.m.

Members of the media are welcome throughout the festival, where they can meet the young participants and the business, university, government and educational partners.

In collaboration with Youth Fusion, FIRST Robotics Québec is rallying companies, universities and the education community in Québec to enable young people to acquire hands-on experience in science and technology and to inspire them to become the creators and innovators of tomorrow's Québec.

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