Digital TV - Promoting Science

[archiver]

Posted by Mark Pierce at 1/27/2001 5:19 PM EST


Other on team #288, RoboDAWGS, from Grandville High School and X-Rite, Delphi, and others.



I attended a Science festival (2001 Science Odyssey) today at Grand Valley State University hear in West Michigan and came away with a few FIRST related thoughts:

One of the demonstrations there was a High definition TV demo put on by PBS station WGVU-TV. They were playing a tape of football (what else) on a 42 inch flat panel wide screen. At a Science Festival! I asked Chuck Furman of WGVU why he didn't have a robotics competition or techonology show on. He said that's all he had at this time. I asked if he'd be getting footage at the upcoming regional. Another excuse this time, no camera (apparently they're kind of rare). Anyway, there has to be someone, somewhere in the first universe who can find a way of getting some wide screen or digital footage of this year's competition so this doesn't continue. Any ideas?

Another topic: One of the main speakers at the show was Congressman Vernon Ehlers, the only research physicist ever elected to Congress. His talk mirrored much of Dean and Woodie's talks from the kickoff. He has introduced legislation called the National Science Education Acts of 2001 that should be studied and encouraged by anyone interested in science and technology. Anyway, I got to thinking: If the new President appears to be pushing education improvement, wouldn't a visit to watch a regional or national FIRST competition show he means it? The press seems to follow his every move, so they'd have to cover it. Dean receiving the Technology medal and the yearly recognition of FIRST winners is nice, but the a demonstration of actual interest in FIRST by the President would show what's really important to this country and set a great example to others.