ROSSLYN, Va., October 9, 2013 — The National Electrical Manufacturers Association’s (NEMA) Arc Welding Section announces its $5,000 donation to the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation in support of increasing student interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by engaging students in hands-on, sustainable, and affordable curriculum-based VEX Robotics engineering programs.
The donation will be in the form of two new team grants and an event partner support grant for high school teams and partners participating in the VEX Robotics Competition, a global curriculum-based robotics program and competition supported and delivered through the REC Foundation.
“STEM programs like VEX provide valuable skills and give students the hands-on experience that allows them to excel in technical careers like arc welding,” said NEMA Arc Welding Chairman Bruce Albrecht.
“Partnerships with organizations like NEMA are critical to the continued success of the VEX Robotics Competition. Through these partnerships, students see how their exposure to STEM skills and experience in robotics translates into real-world application across a variety of industries,” said Jason Morrella, president of the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation.
In order for new teams of students to compete in the VEX Robotics Competition, they often need support for annual registration, event competitions, and VEX Robotics Competition kits. The grant funded by NEMA’s donation gives students access to all they need to get started. The team grants will provide technical high schools a VEX Robotics Classroom and Competition Super Kit, which includes everything needed to design, build, power and operate a competition robot. The REC Foundation partners with a number of organizations to run sustainable events and the event partner support grant will provide one such partner all the materials they need to host a local VEX Robotics Competition.
The NEMA Arc Welding Section values the development and investment in students interested in STEM.
NEMA is the association of electrical equipment and medical imaging manufacturers, founded in 1926 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Its 400-plus member companies manufacture a diverse set of products including power transmission and distribution equipment, lighting systems, factory automation and control systems, and medical diagnostic imaging systems. Total U.S. shipments for electroindustry products exceeds $100 billion annually.
About the REC Foundation
The REC Foundation seeks to increase student interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by engaging students in hands-on, sustainable and affordable curriculum-based robotics engineering programs across the U.S. and internationally. The REC Foundation develops partnerships with K-12 education, higher education, government, industry, and the non-profit community to achieve this work. More information about the REC Foundation is available at www.recf.org.
