ROCKVILLE, MD—During a visit today to Magruder High School, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez saw firsthand how science and technology is preparing America’s students for the jobs of the future. Gutierrez met with 24 students in the robotics club who are teaming with researchers from the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to design and build a robot that can stack inflated tubes on pegs in a “Tic-Tac-Toe”-like competition against other schools. The students and their robot will participate later this year in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an international robotics challenge.
“We know that with scientists and engineers, and an educated workforce, we can achieve our full potential as a nation,” Gutierrez told the students. “Programs like FIRST are ensuring that you will be the inventors and entrepreneurs of the future, making certain that the United States continues to be the world’s number one innovator.”
During his visit, Gutierrez was accompanied by NIST Director William Jeffrey.
At Magruder, Gutierrez watched students put a ball-handling robot from the 2006 FIRST competition through its paces and then heard how the robotics team is tackling the design and construction challenges faced in getting the tube-stacking robot ready for regional competition in March. Gutierrez urged the students to work hard to develop the skills that will help America keep its competitive and innovative edge.
Gutierrez also praised the four researchers from NIST who are currently working with the Magruder students. “I am proud that the Commerce Department, through NIST, is working side-by-side with these students as they experiment, create and grow,” said Gutierrez. “These researchers who volunteer their time to advise young people in the fascinating science of robotics are heroes in my book.”
The four researchers from NIST represent three of the agency’s laboratories: Manufacturing Engineering, Building and Fire Research, and Information Technology. NIST volunteers serve as engineering mentors who provide technical support, guidance and encouragement to the students throughout the six-week design-to-construction period and during the team’s competitions.
FIRST, founded in 1989 by Segway inventor Dean Kamen, is an annual challenge in which young people are paired with science and engineering professionals to design and build a robot in only six weeks that will solve a designated engineering problem or perform an assigned task.
Secretary Gutierrez concluded his visit to Magruder High School by pledging the Commerce Department’s continued support for educational programs such as FIRST that foster student interest in science, math and technology, as well as for the President’s American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI), which includes a strong focus on science and mathematics education and seeks increased support for critical research and development efforts at NIST and two other federal agencies.
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