“I know the world needs more engineers, but FIRST isn’t all about engineers and robots… that’s why it’s so great. - Ryan Dognaux”
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=206305#post206305
I really like this one as it reminds me of something that is often forgotten, especially as we move form the build season to the competition season. As great as FIRST is for those of us who like math, science and/or engineering, it can be equally great for those that don’t.
FIRST was founded to inspire students in Science and Technology, but what does that really mean to us? Does it mean that the only people FIRST serves are those that want to be scientists and engineers? I don’t think we should stop there. I don’t think we can stop there. I think that FIRST is about a whole lot more than that.
FIRST is not just about inspiring students to become scientists and engineers, it’s about changing the culture. To do that you have to touch more than those interested in science or engineering, you have to touch everyone. We have to go beyond the students that want to design and build the robot. We have to attract and inspire the students that want to be photographers, accountants, business majors, salesman and artists.
My goal during this competition season is to remember these people. Every time I see robot, I want to think about the students behind that robot that aren’t going to be engineers, the students on that team that might not have even touched the robot. I want to remember the student that documented every single second of that six weeks on film. I want to remember the student that is sitting in the teams pit waiting to sell their team and their robot to a judge. I want to remember the student that designed that teams pit, logo and t-shirts. I want to remember the student that balanced the books and made sure there was enough money for the team to come to the competition. I want to remember that not only is it about more than just the robots, it’s about more than just the engineers too.