Preparing Hawai`i Students for Future Workforce
The continued willingness of schools statewide to form teams that compete with robots is helping the Administration carry out a major initiative to prepare Hawai`i students for a more diverse new economy shaped by technology and globalization.
Lt. Governor Aiona meets the robotics team from James Campbell High School in `Ewa Beach.
Lt. Governor Aiona made that case during the three-day inaugural VEX Robotics Pan-Pacific Championship that ended Saturday at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. The Lt. Governor applauded the creative successes of the 83 competing teams as an emerging feature in the statewide drive to mold tech-savvy, achievement-oriented students who thrive on feedback and teamwork.
“Students who participate in robotics programs are gaining valuable lessons in the field of science, technology, engineering and math,” Lt. Governor Aiona said. “They are also honing their critical thinking skills and their ability to develop innovative solutions that will help meet future challenges and opportunities facing our state.”
Since January, the number of robotics teams in schools statewide has nearly tripled, increasing to 282 today from 95 at the start of the year. The VEX Robotics Pan-Pacific Championship drew more than 80 teams from Hawai‘i, California and China, which built robots designed to solve a set of problems.
A team from 'Iolani School in Hawai‘i and two others from California were among the top-three winners. Next up for all three robotics teams is the VEX Robotics World Championship set for April 30 – May 2, 2009 at the Dallas Convention Center and Arena, where they will have the opportunity to compete against their top-ranked peers from around the world.
