Let's Treat Our Math and Science Stars Like Sports Stars

Team 254 "The Cheesy Poofs" from Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose, Calif. received the High School Excellence Award at the 2011 VEX Robotics Competition World Championships. Photo credit: Steven Rainwater

Last year the young winners of the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology) Robotics Championship went to the White House and shook President Obama's hand -- just like the winners of the NCAA basketball tournament do. We should make a practice of giving our math and science stars the same level of recognition we award our sports stars. It could be a key component of attracting students to the sciences and graduating the kind of talented adults companies around the world want to hire.

I saw why this past week at the VEX Robotics Championships in Orlando. Both VEX and FIRST do something you might not expect of a robotics contest: they cultivate teamwork and the kind of social skills that turn smart kids into bona fide leaders. The only difference between robotics stars and sports stars, it turns out, is that the careers of robotics champions don't have a shelf life.

The secret sauce of robotics competitions -- VEX and FIRST are just two of several in the U.S. -- is relevance. The teams are given a real-world goal: to raise money and build a robot of their own design that can go head to head with other teams' robots to complete a series of complicated tasks. It's hands-on, project-based learning, which is precisely the kind of approach that transforms math and science from intimidating subjects to engaging fun.

What's more is that in an increasingly virtual world, robotics contests force kids to work together face to face and develop the kind of communications skills that will serve them well throughout their lives. When companies like Lockheed Martin are weeding through 1,000 resumes for a single opening, it's the candidate who can make presentations to management who gets the job offer.

Kids dream of being sports heroes; organizations like VEX and FIRST are giving them reasons to dream of being science and technology leaders. Competition and recognition might be exactly what kids need to feel that pull to exercise -- their minds.

 

Comments

[salviati]

10:45 PM on 04/24/2011

Perhaps the most telling aspect of this article is the caption of students from an elite California prep school winning the Robotics Championship. It underscores the reality of American education, that the wealthy are receiving premier math and science education to rule the masses who are fed the dual sedatives of sports and a brain dead school curriculum. The most disgraceful aspect of all of this, is that it is primarily the fault of American parents who want their children to "achieve" without the struggling that naturally accompanies learning.

[BellMom]

03:00 AM on 05/03/2011

Please note that VEX and FIRST teams are mentored by volunteers from various sponsors, schools, and their community. Many of the top robotics teams come from public and charter schools widely supported by parents and their communities. It is the time and knowledge of the volunteer mentors which make it possible for these kids, who spend long hours to design and build the robots with the help of their mentors, to achieve whatever level of success they reach in these competitions. According to the team website, www.team254.com, the team started at a public school. For more information on FIRST teams and how they can be formed, check out www.usfirst.org.

[Auntydem]

02:30 PM on 04/24/2011

Basketball team wins a state title. They return to town in a parade with firetrucks and police cars blowing sirens and a rally in the HS gym. Students in Speech competition, Science Bowl and Business Professional of America win state (and national) awards and get............."crickets".
It's pretty clear to any kid watching what is the most "valuable" activity.

[OliveGage]

11:43 AM on 04/21/2011

OK what does being a rock star have to do with being an effective presenter on scientific data, a lot of stars get sick from the pressure and attention. What's good about that. Effective presentation skills are taught, just like good science or any other subject. So lets make sure that science competitions are available to more kids, provided resource and opportunities to interact with real entrepreneurs; regardless of school district. Then we could include presentation skills training for kids that really have the interest in pursuing a career in science. Oh yeah, this field pay pretty good even if it is tedious and boring at times.