FIRST: "Science is accessible for me."

If you're a fan of the science blogosphere as I am, you've probably heard about FIRST, a not-for-profit founded by inventor Dean Kamen that inspires young people to get involved with science, technology, engineering and mathematics through participation in robotics competitions.  I first learned about FIRST when I read Sheril Kirshenbaum's interview with Dean Kamen.  There was also an ABC television special about FIRST featuring will.i.am, front man for the Black Eyed Peas. (will.i.am is popular in my house, albeit for a somewhat different reason.)

More than 21,000 high-school-age kids are participating in FIRST this year.  Kids join teams in their hometowns and those teams build working robots that are designed to carry out specific tasks the FIRST leadership develops. The teams score points based on how well the robots meet their tasks, and winning teams get all sorts of perks, such as visiting the White House.

The good folks at FIRST gave me the opportunity to talk with one of those teams who went to DC last year - First Tech Challenge team #3489, a group of four smart, ambitious and engaging students from Coatesville PA and who call themselves "Minds In Gear."  While I thoroughly enjoyed talking with the team about what they were learning, it quickly occurred to me that these young leaders are teaching us all a few things as well. This interview with the team is well worth the 16 minutes and 15 seconds you'll spend listening to it.

I was immediately struck by two things in this interview. First, Sasha Wall discussed the complementary nature FIRST has with her classes:

I use a lot of the leadership skills that I gained in first tech challenge and I apply them in in my classes when we’re doing projects… and I’m able to take my math skills and apply them to building a robot.

Second, as I noted that the team had three young women and one young man, Alex McCabe took a question I asked about female role models in science and just knocked it out of the park.

Establishing female role models in science is so important because you turn on the TV and you see a few poor role models, and if you just pay attention to the media you don’t really get the idea “oh, science is so wonderful, science is ACCESSIBLE for me, and I think that’s really important.

I could try to elaborate on this, but it seems to me Sasha and Alex do quite well speaking for themselves. After the interview the team gave me a live video demonstration of their robot from last year - and I'll just put the rest of the FIRST teams on notice - Minds In Gear will be tough to beat. They invited me to chat with them again once this year's competition is over. I'm already looking forward to it.

And speaking of education rants

My wife showed me a piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education about how the University of Kentucky is falling far short of its statutory mandate of being a "top 20" public university by the year 2020.  The reason isn't hard to figure out: the state doesn't fund education adequately and the voters don't seem to mind that.

Seriously - Kentucky passed a law that said UK is required to be teh awesome but has repeatedly cut its funding relative to costs.  As a result the university has actually dropped in every meaningful ranking system (to the extent that these rankings are meaningful at all) - including its own system, which probably gives itself the benefit of every doubt.  That's right - UK can't move up in the rankings, even when it grades itself on a curve.

Bottom line: when the issue is hiring a top-tier basketball coach or even building a new practice court, the state will always - ALWAYS - come up with the resources somehow.  Public money, booster slush funds, some cash stuffed in a mattress somewhere, whatever.   But when the issue is academics, that's a place to cut, not spend.

If the Kentucky legislature actually paid attention in math class - check that, if they actually HAD math class -  maybe they'd realize you don't get something for nothing.

Time for another education rant

I think if my old boss were still around, he'd be in Wisconsin.  Because what's happening there is just plain wrong. For those more focused on other issues, the Wisconsin governor and legislature (specifically the state senate) is trying to ram through an "emergency" budget bill that not only cuts the salary and benefits of Wisconsin's teachers, but also strips the teachers of their rights to collective bargaining.

I'll be brief.  Wisconsin has some economic problems, but overpaying teachers is not one of them.    The starting salary for a teacher in Wisconsin: $25,000.  College degree required, along with extensive review and licensing issues.  Your average teacher can look forward to a salary somewhere in the mid 40's.  This is NOT a lot of money.  Despite this, the teachers' unions have already conceded to the GOP's demands to cut their salary and benefits.  So the budget arguments are off the table.

Americans have fought and died for rights like collective bargaining.  This is a freedom issue, and the Republicans are on the wrong side of it.  Making teaching a less-attractive profession does nothing to improve Wisconsin's ability to educate its children and compete and succeed in a rapidly evolving economy, but taking away hard-fought rights (only for unions who historically support Democrats, of course) is disgusting.

Wisconsin can now look forward to less motivation and talent in their teaching pool.  Attention, potential teachers:  You can now make more money working full-time in food service or retail.  Especially if you join a union.

Move over, Kentucky - Wisconsin is about to join you in the tragic sinkhole of low expectations.