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Ford STEAM Mentorship

46 views · Published 27 April 2018 · 5:14 · Indexed 10 November 2026

Channel: Motorward · 2018 · Autos & Vehicles

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The Goon Squad, one of 86 teams Ford helps sponsor through For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), is headed to the FIRST Championship in Detroit this week to pit its robot against others from around the world.

Ford supports FIRST Robotics teams across the country through its STEAM efforts. Ford STEAM Experience connects employees with students and the community through activities in science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Michigan has more participants than any other state this season – 500 teams. Just more than 100 Michigan teams will be in Detroit this week. Ford is involved in sponsoring nearly 30 percent of them.

Randy Strawsine, a Ford IT operations supervisor, joined FIRST Robotics as a mentor in 2011 when his son was on the Goon Squad and has been the team’s coach for the past six years. More than 200 Ford engineers and IT experts volunteer as mentors for more than 80 high school teams.

Under Strawsine’s supervision, the father-son duo continues to work to interest students in technology and engineering, which has led to four district wins, qualifying for six state championships and three world appearances for the Goon Squad.

“As mentors, we provide STEAM guidance for students to develop their technical skills,” says Strawsine. “Not only that, we help them develop personally by getting them to face adversity, deal with high-stress situations and communicate with a diverse group of teammates.”

According to FIRST, just one in seven students in the United States remain interested in STEM fields by the time they reach 12th grade. This comes as the need for STEM professionals is 1 million more than what the country is expected to produce from 2015 to 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ford is aiming to boost these numbers by getting more students involved with FIRST teams and competitions.

The most prominent of the FIRST competitions is this week’s FIRST Robotics Competition – a global contest that gives high school teams six weeks to design and develop a robot. Teams face off head-to-head as their robots perform prescribed tasks that change from year to year.

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