Dallas Regional tournament set for March 21-23 at the Irving Convention Center

DALLAS & FORT WORTH, Texas--Mouser Electronics, Inc. today announced that it is a major sponsor of the FIRST® Robotics Competition Dallas Regional tournament set for March 21-23 at the Irving Convention Center.

Through FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) programs, high school students have the opportunity to team up with engineers, professors and business people to solve real-world engineering challenges.

Mouser was a major sponsor of the FRC Dallas Regional last year and returns this year again as the "Friends of the Future" sponsor. The FRC Dallas Regional features teams from Texas, surrounding states and Mexico. Teams registered will compete for various awards and the opportunity to advance to the FIRST Championship at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis in April. The Irving event will include students, university and corporate mentors, plus local leaders in business, government, education and the media.

"All of us here at Mouser are dedicated to inspiring young people's interest in science and technology, and we are proud to sponsor a program that supports the brightest young minds and future engineers," said Kevin Hess, Mouser's Vice President of Technical Marketing. "The FIRST Robotics Competition provides students with a platform for innovation and a chance to solve real-world engineering challenges while helping to build self-esteem."

This year, Mouser also has expanded its support by donating electronic components to students through a partnership with the Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA). Each FRC robotics team receives a kit of parts, including motors, batteries, a control system, a PC, and a mix of automation components - with no instructions. Teams have six weeks to transform their kit into a working robot designed to perform specific tasks. It is through the support of companies like Mouser that kits were supplied to 2,539 teams around the nation. The top 400 teams from regionals across the United States will advance to next month's championships.

To learn more about Mouser's support of FIRST visit, http://www.mouser.com/FIRST/.

With its broad product line and unsurpassed customer service, Mouser caters to design engineers and buyers by delivering What's Next in advanced technologies. Mouser offers customers 19 global support locations and stocks the world's widest selection of the latest semiconductors and electronic components for the newest design projects. Mouser Electronics' website is updated daily and searches more than 10 million products to locate over 3 million orderable part numbers available for easy online purchase. Mouser.com also houses an industry-first interactive catalog, data sheets, supplier-specific reference designs, application notes, technical design information, and engineering tools.

About Mouser Electronics

Mouser Electronics, a subsidiary of TTI, Inc., is part of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway family of companies. Mouser is an award-winning, authorized semiconductor and electronic component distributor, focused on the rapid introduction of new products and technologies to electronic design engineers and buyers. Mouser.com features more than 3 million products online from more than 500 manufacturers. Mouser publishes multiple catalogs per year providing designers with up-to-date data on the components now available for the next generation of electronic devices. Mouser ships globally to over 375,000 customers in 170 countries from its 492,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility south of Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit http://www.mouser.com.