FIRST Things First: University partnerships bolster VA-DC teams [Pipelining: Attractive Programs for Women]

Starting in November 2014, students all over the world took on a shared challenge: to find a better or more innovative way to help someone learn. It's a looking- in-the-mirror moment for the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) program, which sponsors an annual competition tasking students to solve real-world engineering challenges through a research project and the creation, build, and programming of a functional robot. FIRST, which stands for "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology," provides a hands-on way for students to "see that science and math, subjects taught in school, have real-world application to human problems," says Dr. Bob Kolvoord, dean of the James Madison University (JMU) College of Integrated Science and Engineering and codirector of the JMU Center for STEM Education and Outreach.