STEM comes to the State Capitol! Please join FRC 1816-The Green Machine and Minnesota FIRST teams for STEM Advocacy Day and Robots in the Rotunda at the Minnesota State Capitol, Monday February 26th, 10 AM – 12 noon. This event, sponsored by Edina state Senator Melisa Franzen and Rep. Dario Anselmo, will feature the best of STEM school programs in our state. Joining 1816 will be FRC teams from Eden Prairie, Hopkins, Becker, Maple Grove, the Twin Cities metro, and LaCrescent! This event takes place in the Capitol Rotunda. The event is free and open to the public, so please join us for this exciting day promoting STEM and FIRST at the State Capitol!
This now-annual event will begin with District 49 legislators speaking on advocacy, followed by a session with Minnesota education policymakers. The fun begins at 10 AM, with robot demonstrations in the Rotunda itself.
Every state legislator has a minimum of one FIRST team in their district, whether it’s our youngest teams in FIRST LEGO League Junior, FIRST LEGO League teams, FIRST Tech Challenge teams, or FIRST Robotics Competition teams. “The 225 schools that participate on Minnesota’s 215 FIRSTRobotics Competition teams have more than 62% of the state’s high school students,” says Ken Rosen, FIRST in Minnesota Regional Director.
STEM Advocacy Day, along with Robots in the Rotunda, is a fantastic opportunity to meet local lawmakers, cultivate new relationships, and bring the range of FIRST K-12 programs to new audiences.
Robots in the Rotunda and STEM Advocacy Day is only one of the community outreach events and activities we hold throughout the year, including throughout the intensive 6-week FIRST Robotics Competition build season. Robot demonstrations at Edina school carnivals and science fairs, appearances in 9th grade AP Government classes, visits to local homeless shelters, and a team favorite, a return to the Star Studio at Children’s-Minneapolis Hospital, are all on the calendar. During the Star Studio’s Kids’ Clubhouse, one never knows how our patient-friendly STEM activities may turn out.