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Ryan introdues legislation in Congress for STEM funding
The Vindicator ( Youngstown)
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U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, talked about a bill to increase federal funding for programs such as robotics. Ryan discussed the proposal Tuesday with area robotics coaches and students at Oh Wow! The Roger and Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology in downtown Youngstown.
The Vindicator ( Youngstown)
Photo
Hallie Duarte, an incoming sophomore at Youngstown Early College, is at the controls of the robot of her team, the 276 Mad Cows, consisting of Youngstown high-school students.
Innovation Inspiration School Grant Program Act introduced
YOUNGSTOWN
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan is introducing legislation in Congress to provide federal funding for science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs, particularly robotics.
But Ryan, of Niles, D-17th, admits it will be difficult to get federal funding for this program in the current political climate that “any government investment is wasteful.”
But Ryan said “this nonsense that [the federal government] can’t make [smart] investments” in education programs is “a recipe for disaster.”
He added: “We’re competing with the thought that no government investment is good.”
The bill, called the Innovation Inspiration School Grant Program Act, would provide teachers with hands-on training needed to help students succeed in programs such as robotics as well as money for instruction outside of school hours, Ryan said.
Ryan said the amount of money available under his bill hasn’t been deter-mined. Schools would probably get $15,000 to $20,000 each through a competitive process to help get robotic programs started, he added.
“It’s critical that we provide our schools with the resources they need in order to help our children succeed,” Ryan said. This program “will empower schools to develop alternative programming, like robotics programs, with the assistance of local business and industry partners. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics are the building blocks of success for the jobs of tomorrow.”
Ryan made the announcement about the bill Tuesday at Oh Wow! The Roger and Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology in downtown Youngstown.
Ryan called robotics “a modern-day shop class,” and says it helps teach students how to solve problems and work as a team.
Students from Youngs-town, Girard and Warren attended Tuesday’s Ryan announcement.
Jaret Spayd, who’ll be a Chaney High School senior in the fall, joined the school district’s robotics team as a junior.
“It looked fun to make a robot, and it is,” he said.
It’s also complicated as students have to build the robots from pieces and hand-wire the machines, he said.
After graduation, Spayd wants to major in engineering at Youngstown State University or the University of Akron.
Hallie Duarte, an incoming sophomore at Youngstown Early College, said her physical-science teacher signed her up for the robotics team last year.
“In the beginning, I was focused more on sports [as a member of the volleyball team], and now I’m all into robotics,” she said. “I like taking things apart to see how they work. Now I do that on a bigger scale and I really like it.”
Duarte is considering a career in chemical engineering.