Partnering with Industry to Engage High School Students in STEM Disciplines through Competition
Abstract: Finding ways to increase student interest in STEM is a big challenge that has the attention of industry and academia. The FIRST program has proven that by providing the right inspiration, science and technology can capture students’ interest as much as popular team sports. This paper will describe another technology-based competition that is designed to spark the innovative spirit in today’s students, much like what FIRST does for students. More importantly, it will share the partnership between the company sponsoring the contest and the university helping expand the contest nationally through development of regional competitions. By exposing more students to this hands-on opportunity to apply their technology skills in novel ways, both partners expect to increase the number of students who ultimately pursue study of STEM subjects in college.
Presider: Lunes Gassant, Grambling State University