Otsego, Michigan – February 19, 2010 – Parker Hannifin announced today that it has joined forces with FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a not-for-profit organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology, as a Silver Supplier of the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC®).

The FIRST Robotics Competition Silver Supplier level designates a contribution between $10,000 and $50,000. Parker Hannifin provided brass fittings and valves for the 2010 FRC Kit of Parts which was distributed to more than 1,800 teams of high-school students on January 9, 2010.

“Parker Hannifin is a generous supporter of the FIRST Robotics Competition,” said FIRST president, Paul R. Gudonis. “As a Silver Supplier, the Fluid System Connectors Division greatly helps us to achieve our vision: ‘to create a world where science and technology are celebrated… where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders.”

By providing components for the competition, FIRST suppliers are putting the latest technology in the hands of students, giving them the opportunity to apply the same tools used by professional scientists and engineers and ultimately helping them learn real-world skills they will carry into the workplace.

Since 1992, FIRST has brought the excitement of a sporting event to science and technology via robotics competitions. On January 9, the organization unveiled the annual engineering challenge to teams, who also received a Kit of Parts made up of 577 items including motors, batteries, a control system, a PC, and a mix of automation components – but no instructions. Working with mentors, students now have just six weeks to design, build, program, and test their robots in preparation for regional events that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration, and the determination of students.

In the 2010 FRC “Breakaway” robotics game, two alliances of three teams will compete on a 27-by-54-foot field with bumps, attempting to earn points by collecting soccer balls in goals. Additional bonus points will be earned for each robot suspended in air and not touching the field at the end of the match.

More than 45,000 students from 12 countries will design and build robots to compete in regional events with winners advancing to the FIRST Championship in Atlanta, Georgia, April 15-17, 2010. Participating students are eligible to apply for nearly $12 million in scholarships offered by leading universities, colleges, and companies.

With annual sales exceeding $10 billion, Parker Hannifin is the world's leading diversified manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems, providing precision-engineered solutions for a wide variety of mobile, industrial and aerospace markets. The company employs approximately 52,000 people in 48 countries around the world. Parker has increased its annual dividends paid to shareholders for 53 consecutive years, among the top five longest-running dividend-increase records in the S&P 500 index. For more information, visit the company's web site at http://www.parker.com, or its investor information site at http://www.phstock.com.

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FIRST® and FRC® are registered trademarks, and Gracious ProfessionalismTM is a common law trademark, of the United States Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (US FIRST).

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