To inspire and engage young people in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Specialized equipment and materials are essential for high school students to engage in the highly regarded FIRST Robotic Competition. Since 2011, our award-winning, nonprofit, community-based robotics program, mentored by volunteer engineers and others, has been engaging students from over 20 schools and all socio-economic classes throughout Orange County in the areas of science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) with hands-on construction of robots that compete internationally. Our students have placed in regional, national, and international championship competitions. The program enables students to develop science, engineering, technology, leadership and communication skills, as well as self-confidence. Our goal is to inspire our students, and the thousands of children exposed to our community outreach activities, to engage in STEM and eventually become successful innovators. Many of our alumni are spurred towards demanding and rewarding careers in the STEM fields.
The $25,000 grant would enable our program to purchase vital equipment and materials for our students' construction of robots such as a lathe, a mill, additional parts for our CNC router, a 3-D printer, computers for our students' CAD (computer aided design) and programming endeavors, motors, electronics, gears, wiring, wheels, and so on. These essential items would allow more students to have hands-on opportunities to learn valuable STEM skills. These items will also allow our students to demonstrate their robots at numerous community outreach activities such as Irvine STEAM Carnival, Downey STEAM Festival, Comic Con, DARPA Robotics Challenge Final, 2015 World Robot Conference (Beijing, China), television appearances on The Fosters, 2016 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening Conference, Solidworks World 2014, Bots at the Beach FIRST Lego League Competition, and robotic summer camps for young children.
Developing STEM skills for our students and inspiring other children within our community to become excited about STEM disciplines will have a lasting impact upon our community and upon our nation as a whole. It has been widely acknowledged by our government and business communities that STEM education is vital to America's economic future (see http://www.usnews.com/opinion/ articles/2012/06/15/stem-education-is-the-key-to-the-uss-economic-future). Our program provides hands-on and engaging STEM learning opportunities to students of all socio-economic classes throughout Orange County. Our community outreach activities inspire thousands of children within our community to learn STEM. These opportunities allow more individuals, including ones from underserved communities within Orange County, to secure productive and challenging STEM-related jobs, and to become innovators with the potential to change our world.
