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Google Announces Robotics and AI Education Grant in Virginia

U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly joined local leaders at Herndon Middle School to announce a $520,000 robotics and AI education grant for middle schoolers in Virginia

Herndon, VA, (December 11, 2023) – Google.org announced today a $520,000 grant to expand access to robotics and artificial intelligence education programs across Virginia middle schools through non-profit partners For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) and the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation (RECF). The grant will fund programs to support existing robotics clubs or create new ones for these middle school students.
 
“Today’s grant from Google will help middle school students across Northern Virginia discover the growing importance of robotics and artificial intelligence,” said U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly. “There’s nothing like using fun activities like robotics to unlock the curiosity of young minds and help them learn skills and prepare for jobs of the future.”
 
The announcement came during an event with Rep. Gerry Connolly, who represents Fairfax County, at Herndon Middle School, one of the schools receiving support to create new robotics teams. During the event, local Google volunteers introduced students to fun and interactive STEM activities, including a CrunchLabs laser catapult kit.
 
“I’m so glad Herndon Middle School is going to be one of the first recipients of these grants,” Connolly said. He added that it is important for students to learn science and engineering skills, because they will make the advancements that help everyone in the future.
 
“We’re going to use robotics, miniaturized robotics, for medicine and diagnostic purposes in surgery. We’re going to use robotics to try and save people who get trapped in caves and pipes,” Connolly said.
 
Gautam Sethi, chief information technology officer for Fairfax County Public Schools, reminded students of the big opportunity they have ahead.
 
“You’re going to make these machines do whatever you want them to do, by programming them, and make them do really interesting things,” Sethi said.
 
This funding is part of a $10M initiative launched by Google.org in connection with the company’s 25th anniversary to fund FIRST and RECF programs, support the next generation of innovators, and give back to the communities Google calls home.
 
“Robotics programs help prepare students for their future careers by teaching them time-tested skills – creative problem solving, communication, and teamwork – while also introducing them to new technology,” said MJ Henshaw, Google Public Affairs. “When Google.org began funding robotics clubs in 2010, it meant teaching students basic coding and programming. Today, it means learning how emerging technology like AI works.”
 
Google.org’s grant funding will enable FIRST to develop AI-specific curricula. It will also support FIRST’s work with local groups to support existing clubs and bring new robotics teams to every state where Google has an office or data center – including Virginia, which has both. To make access to robotics programs more equitable, the grant funding will also help efforts to connect with communities and students who have traditionally lacked access. In Virginia, this means growing the number of robotics teams in Title I eligible schools by more than 400%.
 
“Expanding access to these programs is paramount to building a more equitable and diverse future workforce,” said Alex Bryant, Executive Director of FIRST Chesapeake, the local nonprofit facilitating the Robotics program for Virginia. “With the support of Google.Org, our new Geared Up educator cohort program will prepare educators from across the Commonwealth to mentor our next generation of leaders.”
 
Google is making a major impact on Virginia’s economy through a variety of programs and assistance, including:
  • $10.21 billion of economic activity in 2022
  • Assisted 439,000 Virginia businesses with free Google tools last year
  • Trained 234,000 Virginians on digital skills, including organizations such as public libraries, chambers of commerce, and community colleges
  • Contributed more than $26 million in grants to organizations and non-profits since 2006
  • Provided 10,400 hours of pro bono community service from Google employees
 
For more information about FIRST’s efforts to bring robotics education to Virginia communities, visit firstchesapeake.org.
 
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ABOUT FIRST CHESAPEAKE
FIRST Chesapeake is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization that operates the FIRST Robotics program in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. We work as a community to prepare young people for a STEM future and aim to ensure our programs have a lasting, positive impact on participants across all demographic groups.   
ABOUT FIRST TECH CHALLENGE (FTC)
FIRST Tech Challenge teams (up to 15 team members, grades 7-12) are challenged to design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in a head-to-head challenge in an alliance format. Guided by adult coaches and mentors, students develop STEM skills and practice engineering principles, while realizing the value of hard work, innovation, and working as a team. The robot kit is reusable from year to year and can be coded using a variety of levels of Java-based programming. Teams design and build robots, raise funds, design and market their team brand, and do community outreach to earn specific awards. Participants are eligible to apply for $80M+ in college scholarships.  
ABOUT GEARED UP 
Geared Up is a suite of programs that connects, empowers, and sustains mentors in FIRST Chesapeake. The program includes an online platform uniting mentors from across the district virtually; a cohort designed to ease new mentors into the FIRST ecosystem an immersive program that explores a comprehensive curriculum covering essential aspects of the FIRST TECH CHALLENGE; and an annual conference that brings together over 200 mentors, educators, and industry leaders who are passionate about advancing STEM education and preparing the next generation of talent for the challenges of the 21st century.  
ABOUT GOOGLE.ORG
Google.org, Google’s philanthropy, brings the best of Google to help solve some of humanity’s biggest challenges combining funding, product donations, and technical expertise to support underserved communities and provide opportunity for everyone. We engage nonprofits, social enterprises, and civic entities who make a significant impact on the communities they serve, and whose work has the potential to produce scalable, meaningful change.
Learn More About Geared Up
Learn More About FTC

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U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly joined local leaders at Herndon Middle School to announce a $520,000 robotics and AI education grant for middle schoolers in Virginia
Herndon, VA, (December 11, 2023) – Google.org announced today a $520,000 grant to expand access to robotics and artificial intelligence education programs across Virginia middle schools through non-profit partners For InSpiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) and the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation (RECF). The grant will fund programs to support existing robotics clubs or create new ones for these middle school students.
“Today’s grant from Google will help middle school students across Northern Virginia discover the growing importance of robotics and artificial intelligence,” said U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly. “There’s nothing like using fun activities like robotics to unlock the curiosity of young minds and help them learn skills and prepare for jobs of the future.”
The announcement came during an event with Rep. Connolly at Herndon Middle School, one of the schools that will be receiving support to create a new robotics club. During the event, students were introduced to fun and interactive STEM activities by local Google volunteers, including a CrunchLabs  laser catapult kit.
Insert FIRST quote here – E.g. Provide additional details about your nonprofit, how you plan to leverage the funding to expand the impact, why robotics and AI education is important to the state/community
This funding is part of a $10M initiative launched by Google.org in connection with the company’s 25th anniversary to fund FIRST and RECF programs, support the next generation of innovators, and give back to the communities Google calls home.
“Robotics programs help prepare students for their future careers by teaching them time-tested skills – creative problem solving, communication, and teamwork – while also introducing them to new technology,” said MJ Henshaw, Google Public Affairs. “When Google.org began funding robotics clubs in 2010, it meant teaching students basic coding and programming. Today, it means learning how emerging technology like AI works.”
Google.org’s grant funding will enable FIRST to develop AI specific curricula. It will also support FIRST’s work with local groups to support existing clubs and bring new robotics teams to every state where Google has an office or data center – including Virginia, which has both. To make access to robotics programs more equitable, the grant funding will also help efforts to connect with communities and students who have traditionally lacked access. In Virginia, this means growing the number of robotics teams in Title I eligible schools by more than 400%.
Google is mak ing a major impact on Virginia’s economy through a variety of programs and assistance, including:
● $10.21 billion of economic activity in 2022
● Assisted 439,000 Virginia businesses with free Google tools last year
● Trained 234,000 Virginians on digital skills, including organizations such as public libraries, chambers of commerce, and community colleges
● Contributed more than $26 million in grants to organizations and non-profits since 2006
● Provided 10,400 hours of pro bono community service from our employees
For more information about FIRST’s efforts to bring robotics education to Virginia communities, visit firstinspires.org.
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About FIRST
FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a robotics community that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18 (PreK-12) that can be facilitated in school or in structured afterschool programs. Boosted by a global support system of volunteers, educators, and sponsors that include over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies, teams operate under a signature set of FIRST Core Values to conduct research, fundraise, design, build, and showcase their achievements during annual challenges.
About Google.org
Google.org, Google’s philanthropy, brings the best of Google to help solve some of humanity’s biggest challenges combining funding, product donations and technical expertise to support underserved communities and provide opportunity for everyone. We engage nonprofits, social enterprises and civic entities who make a significant impact on the communities they serve, and whose work has the potential to produce scalable, meaningful change.
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