THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

131

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

Urging the development of and support for robotics education in Hawaii.

 

WHEREAS, the future well-being of the United States depends not just on how well educated our children are generally, but also on how educated they are in mathematics and science specifically; and

WHEREAS, from mathematics and the sciences come the products, services, standard of living, and economic and military security that will sustain us at home and around the world and also from them will come the technological creativity that American companies need to compete effectively in the global marketplace; and

WHEREAS, it is abundantly clear that more can be done to teach our children to understand and use ideas from the fields of mathematics and science, and without those skills, children will fall further behind and lose the ability to respond not just to the challenges presented by the twenty-first century but by the future; and

WHEREAS, there has been a failure to capture the interest of our youth for scientific and mathematical ideas; and

WHEREAS, worst of all, the imaginations of our youths are not being challenged deeply enough; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii's public school students performed well below the national average in the National Assessment of Educational Progress test of basic proficiency in science; and

WHEREAS, robotics education provides a vehicle to engage students in the meaningful application of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, while also engaging them in design activities that challenge them to develop original solutions for each problem presented; and

WHEREAS, robotics education is student-centered and provides experiences in documentation, teamwork, and project management; and

WHEREAS, a robotics-based educational curriculum has numerous applications in a broad array of subject areas including agriculture, alternative/renewable energy, aquaculture, astronomy, biology, communications, computer sciences, environmental studies, geography, geology, and chemistry; and

WHEREAS, six Hawaii high schools have been competing in the For Inspiration and Recognition of Technology (FIRST) robotics tournaments held each spring at several regional and national tournaments and have won regional and national recognition for the students' work; and

WHEREAS, twenty-three Hawaii middle and high schools competed in March 2004 in the first Hawaii Botball Robotics Tournament, which was one of twelve regional tournaments held nationwide and was sponsored by the Hawaii Space Grant Consortium, College of Engineering of the University of Hawaii, Hawaii Convention Center, NASA Automation, Robotics, and Simulation division, KISS Institute for Practical Robotics, and Hawaiian Electric Company; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii high schools have also competed in underwater robotics competitions; and

WHEREAS, robotics education programs engage students in after school, weekend, and vacation periods, providing them with highly academic, stimulating environments and with academic role models; and

WHEREAS, robotics education programs can catalyze student interest in a variety of technology and engineering careers; and

WHEREAS, other robotics tournaments and international and national robotics conferences can be hosted in Hawaii, which has the potential to attract additional teams, educators, and other visitors from the mainland United States and from Pacific basin countries; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, the House of Representatives concurring, that the agencies and departments within the State of Hawaii, including but not limited to, the Department of Education; College of Engineering of the University of Hawaii; Hawaii Space Grant Consortium; Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Hawaii Tourism Authority; foundation and grants representatives; Hawaii Island Economic Development Board; Maui Economic Development Board; Kauai Economic Development Board; NASA Automation, Robotics, and Simulation Division; and potential business partners and supporters, are requested to collaborate to address the coordination and support of robotics education programs in Hawaii, including sustainability, financing, infrastructure, educator professional development through conferences and workshops, and other related issues; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education, in consultation with the agencies and entities named in the previous paragraph, is requested to address the issues raised in this Concurrent Resolution and other related issues and report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2005; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education; Dean of the College of Engineering of the University of Hawaii; Director of the Hawaii Space Grant Consortium; Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Chairperson of the Hawaii Tourism Authority; Chairperson of the Hawaii Island Economic Development Board; Chairperson of the Maui Economic Development Board; Chairperson of the Kauai Economic Development Board; and the Chief of the NASA Automation, Robotics, and Simulation Division.

Report Title:

Development of and Support for Robotics Education in Hawaii