Investing in the Future of Engineering Education

National Instruments is committed to empowering engineers at the industry level, but we also have a strong focus and passion for supporting science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)-related organizations to encourage today’s students to become the engineers of tomorrow. The cornerstone of our community engagement program is to provide hands-on mentorship for K–12 students and educators worldwide. We believe the value in taking a vested interest in engineering education now will have a substantial impact in creating future scientists and engineers to help solve society's challenges.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is one of the many organizations NI works with to excite students about science and engineering. FIRST engages and encourages students to discover the excitement of science and engineering through a range of robotics competitions including Junior FIRST LEGO® League, FIRST LEGO League, FIRST Technical Challenge, and FIRST Robotics Competition.

Beginning in 2009, more than 150,000 students in all FIRST competitions will have access to a progressive programming platform starting with the LEGO MINDSTORMS® NXT-G graphical language and continuing through to NI LabVIEW graphical programming software. This robotics software continuum introduces students to age-appropriate technology in an exciting, hands-on learning environment. To learn more about the FIRST Robotics Competition and the implementation of NI CompactRIO hardware in the 2009 competition, see a related article featured in the Q3 2008 issue of Instrumentation Newsletter.

Over the course of each school year, dedicated NI employees visit classrooms and mentor students and teachers who need guidance with STEM-related curriculum. Week after week, our engineers come back inspired and eager to show students that it is very fulfilling to program a robot in LabVIEW. Our mentors also serve as real role models for students, another inherent value that comes with mentorship.

The engineering community is facing a very real engineering gap. The lack of early childhood interest in engineering education is becoming a bigger obstacle to overcome. Our strong engineering community has the opportunity to make a significant positive impact in the future of our industry. With your leadership, a new generation of students can experience the excitement of engineering and learn how it can benefit them in the future. I encourage you to look into becoming a FIRST mentor in your local community.

– Ray Almgren 

Ray Almgren is the vice president of academic and partner relations. During his 21 years at NI, Almgren has held positions in marketing, R&D, and applications engineering. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.

This article first appeared in the Q3 2008 issue of Instrumentation Newsletter.

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