from Robots.Net
Most of you will remember Obama’s mention of the maker movement in his inaugural address. Now he’s not only mentioned makers again but specifically called on the National Academy of Sciences to consider robotics competitions as one of several methods to inspire American students to pursue science and engineering.
“Think about new and creative ways to engage young people in science and engineering, like science festivals, robotics competitions, and fairs that encourage young people to create, build, and invent — to be makers of things, not just consumers of things.”
Needless to say, the folks at Make are pretty happy too. The current president has brought quite a change for those interested in science. He’s reversed many of the previous administration’s anti-science initiatives, issuing a memorandum calling for scientific integrity. At the NAS meeting he announced a major initiative to “boost research funding and bolster math and science education” which calls for at least 3 percent of the GDP to go toward funding basic science research, reversing the decline of recent years. To hear a mention of robotics on top of all that is very cool indeed. The full text of Obama’s remarks to the NAS can be found online. Image above by flickr user NAS