Archive for the ‘Congressional Robotics Caucus’ tag
Robotics Caucus briefing features Dean Kamen
The Congressional Robotics Caucus held a briefing on October 15 featuring a keynote presentation by FIRST founder and inventor Dean Kamen. Sponsored by the Pittsburgh-based Technology Collaborative, the session highlighted the power of robotics to engage and inspire young students on their path to technology careers.
Highlights include Kamen’s amazing story of FIRST’s origins (from a modest regional competition to one that now fills the Georgia Dome), footage of robotics inventions that are helping wounded servicemen, a humorous segment from the Colbert Report, and a montage of visuals describing the impact of robotics in various educational venues. Kamen was very forceful – if courteous – in urging Washington to take strong action to move FIRST and robotics education activities into schools across the country.
The event was hosted by David Ruppersberger of the Tech Collaborative, who introduced Congressmen Mike Doyle and Phil Gingrey; Congresswoman Diane Watson; Christyl Johnson, Executive Director of the National Science and Technology Council, and two students whose careers were significantly impacted by their involvement with robotics at a young age: Karla Salinas and Lauren Lyons.
View the briefing (in 11 video segments) on YouTube.