FIRST Robotics teams from around southwest Michigan can now apply for grants from Indiana Michigan Power. I&M spokesperson Corey Ohlenkamp tells WSJM News the grants will boost interest in science, technology, engineering, and math for local students while helping them compete in robotics at the pre-kindergarten through high school level. There are different grants for different levels of competition.
“Yearly, we give around $200,000 across 11 different states for any of the programs through FIRST Robotics,” Ohlenkamp said. “There are several that we’re sponsoring. There’s the FIRST Robotics competition, which is on the high school end. There’s the Tech Challenge, which is around that middle school to high school level. There’s the Lego League Challenge and the Lego League Explorer, and those are more for the elementary school and middle school students.”
Ohlenkamp notes the work done by I&M and parent company American Electric Power can be pretty technical, and the companies want to encourage those students who pursue an education in STEM fields. He says FIRST Robotics is a fun way for them to nurture those interests. The robotics grants range from $250 to $6,000, and to apply, a team should go to AEP.com/AEPFIRSTGrant. The deadline to apply is January 27 and the winners will be announced in March.
