Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Chris Williamson | 190315-N-JH293-1130 ST. LOUIS (March 15, 2019) Navy Counselor 1st Class Andrew Foster,...... read more read more
Sailors assigned to Navy Recruiting District (NRD) St. Louis attended the 2019 For Inspiration of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Regional Competitions in St. Louis, Kansas City, Mo., and Peoria, Ill., in hopes of recruiting highly motivated individuals in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.
The St. Louis Regional took place March 13-16 and both the Greater Kansas City Regional and Central Illinois Regional in Peoria was held March 20-23.
FIRST Robotics competitions kick off every year, typically during the school year, and requires teams of high school students, coaches and mentors to build task-driven robots; all with limited resources, limited time and under strict conditions.
This vastly technological event showcased robots developed and operated by approximately 450 high school teams in the NRD St. Louis’ area and drew in crowds of people by the thousands. Imagine combining the action of a major sporting event, with the pace of a music concert… but with robots.
That rhythm and excitement, among other aspects, is what draws Jon Dickson, the education specialist onboard NRD St. Louis, to FIRST Robotics.
“When we show interest in these kinds of events, we have the opportunity to talk to some of the absolute best and brightest students across our district,” said Dickson. “With respect to FIRST Robotics, there are nearly 500 high school robotics teams representing more than 10,000 students within our district alone. We want those students, as well as educators, parents and the general public to make the association between Navy and STEM, especially as it applies to career options.”
FIRST Robotics provides an educational and engineering environment for students to learn skills that aid in future job placement. It combines teams made of students and professional engineers to overcome design and functionality obstacles. Simply put, FIRST brings out the competitiveness of life with the fun of learning.
A student at North Kansas City High School stated that she has “become more confident and enjoyed learning to work together as part of a team.” In the future, she’s going to take what she learned and “pursue a career in electrical engineering by applying to either the Naval Academy or Navy ROTC.”
FIRST Robotics was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology. Similar to the robot-building teams, the U.S. Navy is required to operate at a high level of both technology and teamwork. In order to maintain this technological foundation, its recruits need to reflect a STEM workforce able to contribute to a culture of innovation.
“Technology is ever-evolving, especially in the Navy,” said Dickson. “Most of these robotics students are STEM oriented because of their involvement with robotics and the Navy needs those with higher math and technical skills to meet the Navy's greatest challenges. Also, these students have developed not only the much-desired technical skills, but they learn those important soft skills such as teamwork, communication, work ethic, and problem solving.”
Anne Krebs, a science teacher and team coach with Voltron Robotics at Lansing High School, Kan., stated that FIRST Robotics “allows us to open more opportunities to our students, such as the Navy, where they otherwise wouldn't have ever considered it for a career.”
“Our kids are very appreciative when someone from the Navy shows interest in them and tells them how STEM programs such as FIRST applies to the military and how it applies to a technical
application,” said Krebs.
During the events, various NRD St. Louis recruiters manned a Navy booth and answered questions that competitors and their families had about STEM technology used in the Navy.
"I’ve been fortunate enough to come to all the FIRST Robotics events here in St. Louis since 2015," said Navy Counselor 1st Class Andrew Foster, a recruiter attached to NRD St. Louis. "It’s nice seeing how much they’ve grown since being high school freshmen and seeing how much they have learned throughout the years. So, it’s a great opportunity for me to be at this event because it allows me to talk to them about all the great STEM programs we have in the Navy like nuclear engineering and cryptology.”
It is a requirement for FIRST Robotics teams to raise funds, devise a "brand" and work on teamwork skills in order to build robots that can accomplish specific tasks better than their opponents. With those abilities intact, FIRST Robotics helps to showcase the remarkable talents of young people who have the ability to become tomorrow’s leaders.
“We want leaders in the Navy, so these are the students we want to talk with,” said Dickson. “When they see Navy leaders involved and interested in what they’re doing, it means we’re ‘speaking their language.’ But our success is not limited to only talking with the students themselves, but also by talking with the team coaches and mentors who are often the math and science teachers at their schools. These influencers care about their kids and have a vested interest in seeing them succeed, and we enjoy success in partnering with the teacher by discussing some of our STEM programs that can benefit their students.”
This year NRD St. Louis sponsored three St. Louis-area high schools for the competitions — Alton High School, Ill., Hazelwood High School, Mo., and University City Sr. High School, Mo., and three Kansas City-area high schools — Lansing High School, Lee’s Summit West High School, Mo., and North Kansas City High School.
NRD St. Louis' area of responsibility covers more than 200,000 square miles, encompassing Missouri, Kansas, central and southern Illinois, and a portion of Kentucky. More than 350 officers, enlisted personnel and civilian staff operate 30 recruiting stations, two Navy Officer Recruiting Stations and the headquarters in St. Louis. Additionally, two Military Entrance Processing Stations; one at the headquarters in St. Louis and one in Kansas City, Mo., handle applicants' processing, classification, and physical examinations.
For more news from Navy Recruiting District St. Louis, visit www.navy.mil/local/nrdsl/
| Date Taken: | 03.23.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 03.26.2019 20:11 |
| Story ID: | 315775 |
| Location: | ST. LOUIS, MO, US |
| Web Views: | 92 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, If You Ain’t FIRST (Robotics), You’re Last, by PO1 Chris Williamson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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