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In elementary school so many kids want to be a scientist, inventor or an explorer. Yet, by the time these same students reach 10th grade, only 10 percent see themselves as having the power to create amazing things. That's why STEM, or Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, education programs are so critical. And why organizations like FIRST are so important.
For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, or FIRST, is dedicated to helping students develop an appreciation for STEM education, with the desire to find careers in the science and technology sectors. Inventor Dean Kamen founded the organization over 20 years ago. His belief was once fear and misconceptions fade away, STEM becomes compelling and can inspire kids to embrace lifelong learning.
This week FIRST will be holding their Robotics Regional Competition on Thursday, Friday and Saturday right here in Utah at the Maverik Center. Over 50 teams, 22 from Utah alone, will be competing for scholarships and prizes in science and robotics. Team members are coming from 9 states and Canada to attend.
They like to refer to this competition as "the hardest fun you'll ever have!" Students use skills like math, science, language, business, finance, computer science and fabrication to design and build robots using a common set of parts. The build season starts the first Saturday in January and runs for just six weeks. Then the robot is shipped to one of the worldwide regional competitions where teams compete and winners advance to the FIRST World Championships in St. Louis.
While it's tough work, industry pros offer mentoring and there's sophisticated hardware and software to help with the build process. The stakes are high with teams competing for nearly $19 million in college scholarships.
The 2012-2013 FIRST Robotics Season attracted over 300,000 youth and over 120,000 mentors, coaches, and volunteers from 70+ countries. Not to mention it helped students gain self-confidence, develop people and life skills, make new friends and maybe discover an unforeseen career path. Visit usfirst.org for more information.
For Zions Bank, I'm Chris Redgrave, speaking on business.
FIRST Robotics Regional Competition March 13-15 at the Maverik Center www.usfirst.org
