The Amazon Future Engineer grants fund FIRST
robotics program registrations to start a robotics club, $10,000 to
expand access to computer science education, and a personal tour of
a local Amazon fulfillment center
Thousands of children in 100 schools across 21
states set to benefit starting in the fall
Amazon Future Engineer is a four-part,
childhood-to-career program that works to inspire and educate 10
million children and young adults each year from underrepresented
and underserved communities to pursue careers in the fast-growing
field of computer science and coding
Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and FIRST today announced that 100 schools
serving students from underrepresented and underserved communities
from across the country will receive an Amazon Future Engineer
Robotics Grant to inspire the next generation of computer
scientists. The 100 schools across 21 states will receive support
to launch FIRST robotics teams, including teacher professional
development to learn about robotics, $10,000 from Amazon to expand
access to computer science education in their school, and a tour of
a local Amazon fulfillment center. Read more about the new program
here.
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KIPP Columbus students tour an Amazon
fulfillment center as part of Amazon Future Engineer robotics grant
program. (Photo: Business Wire)
FIRST’s mission is to inspire young people to be science and
technology leaders and innovators by engaging them in exciting
mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and
technology skills to students in grades K-12. Data from a 5-year
longitudinal study of FIRST by Brandeis University shows
competitive FIRST robotics programs works for all youth. Across all
demographic groups (gender, race, economic status and geography),
FIRST students show significant gains in STEM knowledge, STEM
interest, STEM career interest, STEM identity, and STEM activity
compared to their peers who don’t participate. FIRST students are
more likely to major in tech-focused science fields in college; by
their second year of college, over 50 percent declare majors in
engineering or technology. The impact on young women in FIRST is
particularly profound. By their first year of college, female
alumnae of FIRST are 3.6 times more likely to take an engineering
course, and 1.9 times more likely to take a computer science course
than female comparison students.
“Our students have been working incredibly hard over the course
of their educational journeys to be in a position to take rigorous
computer science courses, and this experience visiting the
fulfillment center, as well as the support to expand our
programming next year, is so empowering to them,” said Jake
Kuhnline, Assistant Director of Teaching & Learning, KIPP
Columbus in Columbus, Ohio. “It's rare that I hear a bus full of
high schoolers talking about robotics, computer science, and the
future of programming, but that trip generated that much
enthusiasm.”
“The Amazon Future Engineer Robotics Grant is a game changer for
middle and high school students throughout 53 KIPP schools around
the country,” said Dave Levin, co-founder of KIPP Public Schools.
“The generosity of Amazon will ensure more KIPP students than ever
will have the opportunity not only to pursue successful careers in
STEM, but help diversify the industry for future generations.”
"Amazon is helping FIRST in our goal to make robotics teams and
programs available in every school,” said Dean Kamen, founder of
FIRST and president of DEKA Research & Development. “In FIRST,
every kid on every team can go pro. They gain a hands-on learning
pathway in technology, computer science and engineering that
propels them forward and inspires innovation."
“We can’t wait to bring thousands of students into Amazon’s
fulfillment centers to show them the amazing technology operating
behind the scenes,” said Jeff Wilke, CEO Consumer Worldwide,
Amazon. “These students are the innovators of the future, and we’re
confident that this hands-on experience provided by Amazon Future
Engineer will inspire them in their academic pursuits and
beyond.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that by 2020 there will
be 1.4 million computer-science-related jobs available and only
400,000 computer science graduates with the skills to apply for
those jobs. Computer science is the fastest-growing profession
within the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) field,
but only 8% of STEM graduates earn a computer science degree, with
a tiny minority from underprivileged backgrounds. Students from
underprivileged backgrounds are 8 to 10 times more likely to pursue
college degrees in computer science if they have taken AP computer
science in high school.
Launched in November, 2018, Amazon Future Engineer is a
four-part childhood-to-career program intended to inspire, educate,
and prepare children and young adults from underrepresented and
underserved communities to pursue careers in the fast-growing field
of computer science. Each year, Amazon Future Engineer aims to
inspire more than 10 million kids to explore computer science;
provide over 100,000 young people in over 2,000 high schools access
to Intro or AP Computer Science courses; award 100 students with
four-year $10,000 scholarships, as well as offer guaranteed and
paid Amazon internships to gain work experience. Amazon Future
Engineer is part of Amazon’s $50 million investment in computer
science/STEM education. In addition, Amazon Future Engineer has
donated more than $10 million to organizations that promote
computer science/STEM education across the country.
About Amazon in the Community
Amazon is committed to ensuring all children and young adults,
especially those from underprivileged, underrepresented, and
underserved communities, have the resources and skills they need to
build their best future. Amazon focuses on building long-term,
innovative, and high impact programs that leverage Amazon’s unique
assets and culture. Initiatives include Amazon Future Engineer,
designed to inspire and excite 10 million children and young adults
from underrepresented and underserved communities each year to
pursue an education in computer science, as well as programs that
support immediate needs, including fighting childhood hunger by
providing access to millions of breakfasts annually through its
nationwide Rise and Smile program, addressing family homelessness
through donations and housing a homeless shelter in its Seattle
headquarters, and global relief efforts for people in need
following natural disasters.
About FIRST
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST (For Inspiration
and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an
appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in
Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to
build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating
young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and
engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500
companies and more than $80 million in college scholarships, the
not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST Robotics Competition
for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST Tech Challenge for Grades 7-12;
FIRST LEGO League for Grades 4-8; and FIRST LEGO League Jr. for
Grades K-4. Gracious Professionalism is a way of doing things that
encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and
respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST,
go to www.firstinspires.org.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather
than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to
operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews,
1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment
by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets,
Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and
services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit
amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.
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