My Nonprofit Reviews

I am the Principal Investigator for the TIME Center (Technology and Innovation in Manufacturing and Engineering), a Regional Center of Excellence funded by the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education Program. We have worked closely with our statewide community college partners, regional FIRST partners and various stakeholder groups to support FIRST robotics as a very effective means of engaging students in problem-based learning activities that spur their innovative thinking and creative problem-solving. It has also proven to be an equally effective means of encouraging students to enter and persist in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education programs and careers. The rebuilding and repair of the STEM pipeline is critical to the continuing success of the United States in maintaining and enhancing its position in the global manufacturing and engineering marketplace, and the FIRST program has proven its value in contributing to that task. On a personal level, I have been truly impressed with the excitement, energy and enthusiasm of the students who participate in FIRST Robotics, and the impact that their participation has on their perception of themselves and the work world they will eventually manage. I am just as impressed with the commitment of the numerous volunteers, teachers, mentors, family members and corporate partners to the very important goals of the FIRST Robotics program, and the enthusiasm with which they demonstrate that commitment. Recent research we conducted also shows that the FIRST Robotics program is attracting more women and minorities to its activities and to STEM educational programs and careers generally, a critical need as we move toward a more diverse, global workforce.

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