HIGH SCHOOL ROBOTICS TEAM SPURS IDEA FOR
NJ’S INAUGURAL “TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION WEEK”
Teens Solicit Joint Resolution to Foster Awareness
of Youth Achievements in Science & Technology
TRENTON, N.J., Feb. 22, 2007 – A high school robotics team from Hillsborough, New Jersey, was a driving force behind a joint resolution, signed today, that designates Monday, February 26 through Saturday, March 3, 2007, as “Technology Innovation Week” in the state. Concurrent resolution AJR 134/SJR 66, cosponsored by State Assemblyman Craig A. Stanley (Dist. 28), chairman of the Assembly Education Committee, and State Senator Bob Smith (Dist. 17), commends the efforts of young people who are building the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in New Jersey’s technologically driven economy. In particular, the resolution celebrates the efforts of high school-age participants in the 2007 New Jersey FIRST Robotics Competition that will take place March 1-3, at Trenton’s Sovereign Bank Arena.
The Hillsborough teens, FIRST Robotics Team #75, got the inspiration for the joint resolution during the national kick-off meeting for the 2007 competition. FIRST founder and Segway® inventor, Dean Kamen, charged FIRST teams across the country to get their local elected officials excited about technology education. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) partners high school students with professional engineers and engineering college students to design and build a radio-controlled robot to compete in a predefined “game.”
Technology Innovation Week kicks off on February 26 with thousands of high school students proudly wearing buttons to school saying “Ask me about TIW,” and reaches a high point on Friday, March 2, with the presentation of the signed resolution during the FIRST Competition. There are 57 teams competing in NJ FIRST this year.
Recognizing that the technology sector is a major contributor to the overall health of New Jersey’s economy, the resolution commends programs that encourage young people to pursue education and careers in science and technology. It acknowledges the importance of FIRST engaging students in the creative “hands-on, minds-on” process of technological innovation and the program’s ability to give young people the self-confidence, knowledge and skills they need to meet life’s challenges.
Maxine Ballen, president and CEO, New Jersey Technology Council, welcomed the resolution. “The New Jersey Technology Council is deeply committed to initiatives that help advance the state’s status as a leading technology center,” she said. “This resolution promotes our goal by raising awareness of the value of technological literacy in our students and future workforce.”
The Technology Educators Association of New Jersey also supported the resolution. “In addition to developing our future workforce, we need a pipeline of technology educators, high school teachers who can prepare students for engineering careers,” said David Janosz, executive director.
Robert A. Altenkirch, Ph.D., president of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, said “NJ FIRST and other groups have been working to help high school students achieve technological literacy for more than ten years. This resolution helps highlight the need for all students to master the fundamentals of technology so they will be able to compete and succeed in an increasingly technologically based world.”
Johnson & Johnson has been the lead sponsor for New Jersey FIRST since the regional competition began here in 1996. “As a global leader in health care, Johnson & Johnson understands the importance of a technologically skilled work force,” said Sheri S. McCoy, a Johnson & Johnson Company Group Chairman who leads the Corporation’s sponsorship of the FIRST Competition. “This resolution emphasizes that New Jersey is serious about motivating young people to prepare for exciting careers in science and technology. We are proud of our 11-year association with FIRST and salute the students, teachers and industry mentors who work hard to make FIRST such a successful and inspiring program,” she said.
New Jersey FIRST is the local arm of the well-known national program that encompasses more than 200 regional competitions throughout the United States as well 39 other countries around the world. FIRST is widely praised for immersing students in the world of engineering to help prepare them for technology careers in the global economy. www.usfirst.org
New York City/New Jersey FIRST! is based at New Jersey Institute of Technology. For more information on the program, call Randy Schaeffer, regional director, (908) 230-6780.
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