On February 24, I was given the great honor to represent FIRST Robotics in a roundtable discussion about STEM education hosted by Minnesota’s U.S. Senator Al Franken. I was asked to give my personal perspective on not only why STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) education is important but how FIRST promotes STEM education. Senator Franken brought up the point that the country needs another Sputnik moment or, in other words, another challenge to spark the interest and find drive and passion for the STEM disciplines. Senator Franken invited 14 other participants representing industry and education, including our own team’s sponsors Stratasys and 3M.
Through the discussion we found that our concerns and our goals were very similar. Some of our concerns are the funding for STEM initiatives and teacher training programs and a curriculum that engages students and encourages creativity and innovation. FIRST is a great solution to these concerns and I shared that thought with Senator Franken. The different game each year keeps teams on their toes, so they must be creative. FIRST is also engaging which is clearly visible in the pride that each team takes in themselves and their robots and how they show their colors and spirit at competitions. Mentors and teachers can also benefit from making connections in their field and prove that STEM education is worthwhile to their schools. Even while addressing these concerns, FIRST still finds time to teach us the value of Gracious Professionalism, and after explaining what Gracious Professionalism means, Senator Franken suggested that the US Senate would benefit greatly from adopting the practice of Gracious Professionalism. The discussion was a great success and everyone gained new insight on what needed to be done to further STEM education. I would like to thank Senator Franken for giving me and the 14 other representatives the opportunity to share our opinions to help grow the field that we love.