From High School Robotics to the White House

A few months ago, President Obama launched the "Educate to Innovate" campaign to strengthen competency in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. During this event, some students were invited to demonstrate their robot they built as part of the 2009 FIRST Robotics competition. One of those students, Steven Harris, commented on the importance of high school robotics teams and his experience with his own team:

"I have been a part of FIRST Robotics for eight years. My first exposure to FIRST Robotics was in fourth grade. On Saturdays, when my brother was a member of the team at Oakton High School, I got to go to the team meetings because my father was a parent mentor for the team, helping the members of the team build and design the robots...

...Currently not enough students are studying math and science. Programs such as FIRST Robotics introduce students to math and science in a way that is enjoyable and engaging while still being educational. These programs need to be made more available to students across the country."

I couldn't agree more. Building robots is an extraordinary cross-disciplinary experience including mathematics, engineering, programming, logical thinking and organizational skills. While this student's experience happened to get special recognition at the White House, there are thousands of groups in high schools everywhere who are engaged in after-school robotics programs.

If your school has one, consider having your child join and get some hands on experience working with exciting technology. And if you are a parent with related experience, consider getting involved in your school's program. Because solving tomorrows problems will take the bright and innovative students of today.

Read the entirety of Steven Harris' comments at whitehouse.gov.

Related - Making Science Cool: "Educate to Innovate"