pic: FIRST in Newsweek

[Ken Leedle]

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[Beth Sweet]

I believe she said what Dean's been screaming at us for years: stop with the movie stars already!

She said it very well too. Anyone looking for an elevator speech on FIRST, read up!

[Jon K.]

That is very cool.

[tiffany34990]

We also need to stop with the sport stars too.

Engineers, scientists and other researchers should be more kids heroes like here in FIRST. We are the future to make a different in society from inventions to policies. Movies and sport stars only help create fads they don't really help the development of our minds like how our mentors do. Our mentors are clearly the true stars. It is hard to change things but slowly I've been seeing FIRST is making it's impact.

[JaneYoung]

I've always like the term, role model. By using that term, the person who is placed in a place of admiration and respect is also aware of their value to the individual and the community and there is that possibility of exchange and interaction. 'Stars' belong in the skies. You are right Tiffany, you are the future and you are amassing the necessary tools and attitude for change.

[Richard Wallace]

Link to the Newsweek article, posted earlier today by Evenstar.

This is good stuff for FIRST. [edit: adding an excerpt]

Originally Posted by Esther Dyson

One model to accomplish this is organizing competitions, like the X Prize for private spaceflight, or the FIRST competition, sponsored by inventor Dean Kamen, where high schoolers compete to make the best robots. The goal is to help change our culture by celebrating people who are creative technically. When I say creative, you think about artists and dancers and musicians, but you can be very creative in designing things that work. There is an art to technology that I think is under-revered, in part because of the image of the wonky scientist. It's an unfortunate caricature, because as our economy develops, it's the ability to innovate and be creative and build new things that will help us compete.

[Elgin Clock]

Great article, highly recommended, but I do have another comment..

And I am kind of being totally serious about this.

Did anyone else when seeing the title of the pic, immediately look at the guy's pic on the left, and think the artist drew Dean with a beard, and do a double take and then realize it wasn't his name under the picture, and try and find how the article had to do with FIRST?

I did. I'm almost ashamed to admit.

My Name is Elgin Clock, and I'm a FIRST addict because it seems I see Dean's face everywhere I look..

[Richard Wallace]

Originally Posted by Elgin Clock

My Name is Elgin Clock, and I'm a FIRST addict because it seems I see Dean's face everywhere I look..

We Need to Fix Our Schools

Spend More On Research

Change The Culture

View Rivals As Partners

Looking at these headlines, you can be forgiven if your mind starts playing tricks on you so that you see Dean's face everywhere.

[Evenstar_342]

Yeah, now that I look, you're right Elgin Clock! Now I'm going to see Dean's face everywhere, aaaah!

[Richard Wallace]

Originally Posted by Elgin Clock

Did anyone else when seeing the title of the pic, immediately look at the guy's pic on the left, and think the artist drew Dean with a beard, and do a double take ...

I first met Dean in Fall 1995, and don't recall him having a beard then. However, when I visited Deka the first week of 1996 there was a large portrait of him hanging on their main conference room wall -- and in that portrait he has a very dark, very full beard. Someone who works at Deka can probably confirm that portrait is still there. So I guess a bearded sketch of Dean would have been appropriate back in the day.

[lukevanoort]

Originally Posted by Richard

I first met Dean in Fall 1995, and don't recall him having a beard then. However, when I visited Deka the first week of 1996 there was a large portrait of him hanging on their main conference room wall -- and in that portrait he has a very dark, very full beard. Someone who works at Deka can probably confirm that portrait is still there. So I guess a bearded sketch of Dean would have been appropriate back in the day.

There was a news thing about FIRST back in '93, and I believe he has a beard in it too.

[Elgin Clock]

John would be Correct.

1993:

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/12248

[artdutra04]

Originally Posted by lukevanoort

There was a news thing about FIRST back in '93, and I believe he has a beard in it too.

Here is that video for anyone who is curious:

http://sea.cs.jhu.edu/usfirst/1993vids/1993_Hi-Res.wmv

[Ashley Weed]

This is excellent to have someone speak of FIRST. It would be interesting to know if she has any affiliation, or how she became acquainted with the program.