US/New Hampshire: Gov. Lynch, Dean Kamen Set Goal of Bringing FIRST Robotics Competition To All NH Schools

In an effort to boost science and technology learning, Gov. John Lynch today set a goal to bring the FIRST Robotics Competition to all New Hampshire high schools by September 2010.

Joined by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) founder Dean Kamen, business leaders and education officials, Gov. Lynch encouraged greater participation from the business and higher education communities in order to reach the goal of 100 percent participation in all New Hampshire high schools.

“We must continue to provide 21st century opportunities to prepare our young people for 21st century jobs and 21st century lives,” Gov. Lynch said.

“The young people who participate in the FIRST Robotics Competition learn to dream about making a better world, and dare to invent to make that dream come true. There has never been a more important time to develop the math, science, engineering, and technology skills in our young people,” Gov. Lynch said. “The challenges of the 21st century demand these skills and our young people must be ready to meet those challenges.”

Right now, 28 of the state’s 87 public high schools have teams that participate in the FIRST Robotics Competition.

“All of us at FIRST are truly excited about the opportunity to get every high-school student in our home state of New Hampshire involved in challenging robotics competitions where science, technology, engineering and math skills are core to the program,” said Kamen. “We believe that FIRST’s goal of achieving 100 percent highschool participation is economically crucial for the state. The Governor setting this goal is a significant step toward giving New Hampshire’s young people the access, support and tools needed to develop these skills and abilities. New Hampshire could not make a more significant long-term, high-value investment in its young people than by preparing them for the challenges they will face in an ever-changing world economy.”

Gov. Lynch and the state Department of Education are encouraging local school districts to begin awarding course credit to high-school students who participate in FIRST. Gov. Lynch and Kamen challenged the state’s business and higher education communities to increase sponsorship and volunteer efforts in order to reach the 100 percent participation threshold.

“This is the only competition where every participant on every team can turn pro,” said Walt Havenstein, CEO of BAE Systems Inc., the sponsor of the Granite State FIRST Robotics Competition Regional. “It is critical that our corporate leaders engage in creating world-class teams of future engineers and scientists to ensure the ongoing leadership of the United States and its allies in an increasingly competitive global environment. BAE Systems embraces this challenge by Governor Lynch and the State of New Hampshire.”

“We understand that our future depends on young people developing skills in math, science, and engineering to lead our state and help keep our economy strong. It will be inventors, engineers and scientists that lead the way in innovation,” Gov. Lynch said. “That is why I believe it is important we invest in our young people and work to ensure every high school student in the state has the opportunity to participate in this wonderful competition.”