Getting involved with student competitions is a powerful way to give back to the community and show kids the path to a career in science and engineering. In this post, we discuss how to get involved with NASA’s TechRise Student Challenge and FIRST Inspires and the many benefits that come with involvement. Encouraging future innovators means investing in the U.S. economy (plus it’s fun!).

Student competitions are a great way for students to get involved in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), igniting an interest in science and engineering and developing the foundational skills needed for their careers. In today’s post, we provide information about how to get involved with two programs we are proud to support, NASA’s TechRise Student Challenge and FIRST Inspires.

Earlier this fall, I gave a guest lecture to the Electrical and Computer Engineering students at the North Carolina State University. Mostly my presentation focused on how to present their Senior Design Project effectively. But I also gave some career advice that I’d like to share here today. So, if you’re an undergraduate student in engineering, consider this.

Yesterday Fuentek’s Laura Schoppe participated in a forum sponsored by Honda Jet in Greensboro, N.C., where the focus was on increasing diversity in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs. During the panel, Laura presented her concept of a pipeline that is feeding the STEM workforce and the need to address the leaks in it. As shown in the graphic below, the pipeline has four phases: Engage (primary school), Recruit (secondary school), Retain (university), and Sustain (career). Each of these phases needs attention. Happily, Fuentek knows firsthand that there are many examples of great programs happening all along the pipeline.

Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed by JJ DiGeronimo of the organization Advancing Women in STEM about my career trajectory, my leap into technology transfer, and what motivated me to start Fuentek in 2001. I was also asked for my advice for women who are newly hired for — or trying to get — a job in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). I was able to share a few ideas during the interview, but today I’d like to elaborate on that list. Actually, this advice applies to women going into non-STEM professions too.

I’m heading back to the Dorton Arena in Raleigh as a judge for the 5th annual NC FIRST Robotics Regional Competition. If you’re local, come see for yourself what these amazing high school students have built in only 6 weeks! If you’re not, check out the live webcast Friday and Saturday via the Yeti team’s (#3506) channel. The qualification matches are Friday from 9:00am to noon and 1:00pm to 5:45pm as well as on Saturday from 9:00am to noon. The final rounds are from 1:30pm to 4:30pm on Saturday.

Over 50 teams are at the Regional Tournament at Dorton Arena, and 41 of them are from North Carolina! This year the robots have to fling a flying disc through a slot in the boards at the ends of the field and then climb a tower, one rung at a time. As in the past, each round starts with the robots in autonomous operation. All the teams arrived on Thursday with working robots and nearly all made it through inspection. Great accomplishment! Meeting Woodie Flowers on Thursday evening: He is one of the co-founders of the FIRST Robotics Competition and professor emeritus at MIT. His being at this year’s event is a big deal for the kids. They really like him!

Obviously we’re too close to Christmas for you to do so for this year (unless you’re a world-class procrastinator), but we at Fuentek wanted to take this day to remind our blog readers that LEGOs® are the perfect gift for any child… or playful adult. There’s a wide variety in terms of cost and level of difficulty, and no matter their interest, LEGO can match it. As a child, I loved playing with LEGOs. And I still do. I’m particularly fond of free-building (though when I was a kid, it was just plain old “building”) because of the creativity it allows, as compared to the kits with specified designs. Of course, the predefined sets are a…

I’m interacting with lots of young people these days. Last week I went to Chewning Middle School in Durham, NC, to speak with students about my experiences growing up and working my way into a career in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) field. And later this week I’m returning once again to judge the NC Regional FIRST Robotics Competition at the Dorton Arena in Raleigh.

As we head back to work, still full of gratitude (and mashed potatoes!) from the gatherings of the holiday, I find I have another reason to be thankful: I’ve been selected among hundreds of candidates to be featured on the 2012 Woman’s Advantage Shared Wisdom Calendar. The calendar features daily advice from successful women business owners across the United States and Canada on topics such as strategy, team building, marketing, and finance. As a female owner of a small business, I am quite passionate about…