At the workshop, K-12 educators will participate in interactive sessions and attend presentations given by their peers currently utilizing robots to successfully teach STEM subjects. Representatives from Massachusetts-based technology companies will also discuss the array of career opportunities that exist for students interested in ultimately working in the robotics field or other STEM industries.
STREAM 2009 is a component of iRobot’s larger initiative dedicated to fostering elementary, middle and high school students’ interest in STEM subjects. iRobot is committed to aiding teachers as they work to ensure that America’s future is strongly rooted in math and science.
“STEM subjects form the building blocks for innovation, particularly related to technology,” said Colin Angle, chairman and chief executive officer of iRobot. “There is growing concern that the United States is falling behind other nations in terms of math and science aptitude, and the educators taking part in the STREAM 2009 workshop recognize that robots have the potential to play an integral role in reversing that downward spiral. Their goal is to excite students about the opportunities that a passion for STEM could afford them in life.”
In addition to the interactive sessions, iRobot is also subsidizing the cost of iRobot Create robots for interested educators. iRobot Create is a preassembled mobile robot platform that allows educators, students and developers to program behaviors, sounds and movements and add additional electronics.
STREAM 2009 is comprised of two, full-day sessions. Fifty teachers from local school districts are scheduled to attend the workshop. Confirmed speakers for STREAM 2009 include:
- Michael Bastoni, GEARS Educational Systems
- Ricky Carter and Chris Hancock, Tertl Studos LLC
- Sam Christy, Machine Science
- Fred Martin, University of Massachusetts Lowell
- Melissa Pickering, Tufts Center for Engineering Education and Outreach
- Ted Acworth, Artaic
- Benge Ambrogil, Kiva Systems, Inc.
- Kevin Brooks, Motorola
- Joe Jones, Harvest Automation
- Joyce Plotkin, Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council
Additional sponsors of the STREAM 2009 workshop are the Commonwealth Alliance for Information Technology Education (CAITE), SIM Boston, and The MIT Press.
To learn more about the agenda for STREAM 2009, please visit: http://stream.cs.uml.edu/.
About iRobot Corp.
iRobot designs and builds robots that make a difference. The company’s home robots help people find smarter ways to clean, and its government and industrial robots help protect those in harm’s way. iRobot’s consumer and military robots feature iRobot AWARE® robot intelligence systems, proprietary technology incorporating advanced concepts in navigation, mobility, manipulation and artificial intelligence. For more information about iRobot, please visit www.irobot.com.
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