Since 1989, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, or FIRST, has brought together students, educators and engineering mentors to help nurture tomorrow’s innovators.
Gov. Rick Snyder and FIRST Robotics founder Dean Kamen recently announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit that the FIRST Robotics Global Championship will take place at Detroit’s Cobo Center and Ford Field in 2018.
This is great news for our entire state, as the competition will further showcase our talented students and illustrate our state’s role as an incubator for innovation, design and engineering.
Kamen, known for inventing the first drug-infusion pump and the Segway, started the FIRST Robotics program to inspire interest and participation in science and technology. It now reaches more than 460,000 students worldwide, and this season is expected to be the program’s largest, with 35 countries expected to be represented.
Michigan has more than 10,000 students on more than 400 FIRST Robotics high school teams.
In the FIRST Robotics Competition, students work under strict rules and time limits to build and program robots to perform tasks against competitors.
I have long supported science, technology, engineering and mathematics education programs, like FIRST Robotics, which enable students to work together to solve challenging problems and apply technical skills in a proactive learning environment.
FIRST and STEM also teach students critical thinking and creativity and help young people hone the skills necessary for successful careers in 21st Century economy.
STEM education offers rigorous areas of study that are vital to the future of our state and nation.
As a member of the state’s MiSTEM Advisory Council, I look forward to helping create a comprehensive STEM education plan that can help prepare all Michigan children for success and also meet the skilled workforce needs of a growing economy.
For more information on FIRST Robotics and other programs it offers for younger children, visit firstinspires.org.

Sen. John Proos, R-St. Joseph, represents southwest Michigan.