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Illinois Ag News Headlines |
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WIU Announces Interim Partnership with QC STEM Alliance
Illinois Ag Connection - 08/15/2022
Western Illinois University-Quad Cities has announced a new partnership with the Quad Cities STEM Alliance in hopes of expanding educational opportunities for area high school students.
This partnership will provide an interim space for First Robotics Competition Team 648, better known as the Quad Cities Flaming Squirrels, to design, build and program robotics to compete against other high school robotics teams.
"We are excited to partner with WIU and see a lot of potential between our organization and the university to help grow students' interest in STEM-related fields," said QC STEM Alliance Mentor Jason Ryan.
The team will have access to WIU-QC classrooms, workshop spaces, computer labs and 3D printers. QC STEM Alliance plans to work closely with the WIU Engineering department through interactive training, mentorship and future competitive events.
According to WIU Quad Cities Vice President of Operations Kristi Mindrup, Western's campus spaces, technology and the opportunities for collaboration with physics and engineering faculty create an ideal environment for STEM-focused hands-on learning and creativity.
"WIU-QC is delighted to host the bright high school student innovators from the QC Elite Team 648," Mindrup said.
The goal of this partnership is to not only expand educational opportunities for high school students to seek higher education and help develop interest in STEM-related fields but for students to acquire and experience critical thinking and problem solving skills, as well as to hone their potential through competitions and collaborations. QC Elite Team 648 hopes to work with WIU Macomb FIRST teams in the future.
"We look forward to what the future holds with WIU in bringing STEM opportunities to more students of all ages in the Quad Cities communities," said President of QC Elite Team 648 Lesli Shaheen. "We are thankful WIU has opened up their space for our teams to excel while we work to secure a permanent location."
The Quad Cities STEM Alliance is a non-profit organization that provides unique hands-on experiences and activities for high school students using robotics. The organization works closely with local organizations in the Quad Cities area to attract students who are interested in STEM-related activities. The First Robotics Competition Team 648 is a part of a larger program called "First." This program stands for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology and has multiple programs including FIRST Robotics Competition, FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST LEGO League, which allows students to challenge and explore robotic opportunities.
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