Two Nordson Corporation-Sponsored Teams Compete in FIRST Robotics Championship

WESTLAKE, Ohio, April 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Two high school teams sponsored by Nordson Corporation (NASDAQ: NDSN) participated in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics championship held recently in Atlanta, Ga.

The Nordson-sponsored Northview High School team from Duluth, Ga., and Middletown Public School team from Middletown, R.I., each qualified in regional rounds and competed in the FIRST Championship. The Middletown team made it to the quarter finals before being eliminated.

In addition to the Georgia and Rhode Island teams, Nordson also sponsored teams from San Dieguito Academy in Encinitas, Calif. and Lorain Admiral King High School in Lorain, Ohio. Nordson provided each of the four teams with a $6,000 grant. Additionally, company engineers acted as mentors to the student teams. Nordson also provided sponsorship support to the Buckeye Regional competition, which was held in Cleveland, Ohio.

The FIRST Robotics Competition is an international program for high- school-aged students designed to inspire interest in engineering and technology. Through the competition, teams build a robot that competes in a series of challenges. More than 137,000 students in 23 countries participated in this year's FIRST competition.

The FIRST competition is in line with Nordson's charitable mission of funding educational programs, especially those focused on engineering and technology, for people of all ages. Nordson's focus on providing innovative dispensing, curing and testing systems to its customers around the world, the FIRST program fits directly with Nordson's focus on technology. This was the second year Nordson sponsored the competition.

About Nordson

Nordson Corporation is one of the world's leading producers of precision dispensing equipment that applies adhesives, sealants and coatings to a broad range of consumer and industrial products during manufacturing operations. The company also manufactures equipment used in the testing and inspection of electronic components as well as technology-based systems used for curing and surface treatment processes. Headquartered in Westlake, Ohio, Nordson has more than 3,800 employees worldwide, and direct operations and sales support offices in 30 countries. For more information, visit http://www.nordson.com/. Nordson Corporation Foundation operates on the belief that business, as a corporate citizen, has a social responsibility to share its success with the communities in which it operates and its employees live. The foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the communities in which the corporation has major operations by improving educational outcomes that enable individuals to become self-sufficient, active participants in their communities.

About FIRST

FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology and engineering.

  Contact:   Derrick Johnson, Director, Corporate Communications
  Phone:     (440) 414-5639
  E-mail:    djohnson@nordson.com