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Meeting Public Comments

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SF 61
A bill for an act relating to robotics extracurricular activities, including requiring the department of education to provide technical assistance to school districts related to chartering career and technical student organizations related to robotics and authorizing high school athletic organizations to sponsor interscholastic contests related to robotics.(See SF 278.)
Agenda
Subcommittee members: Kraayenbrink-CH, Pike, Trone Garriott
Date: Monday, February 3, 2025
Time: 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM
Location: Senate Lounge
Comments Submitted:
The purpose of comments is to provide information to members of the subcommittee.
Names and comments are public records. Remaining information is considered a confidential record.

02-03-2025
Avika Rastogi
As a student who has been doing robotics for 4 years, it is extremely important to me as well as other students that this bill gets passed. In the grades of 3rd to 5th grade, that is when STEM should be introduced to students because studies show that is the time students have peak interest. If schools were given the funds for robotics these students would do great things, and we would have the future of any innovators. Another reason on why this is so important and personal to me, is that I am a female in STEM, if schools aren't able to offer this to students, robotics will most likely stay a male dominated field/activity. My robotics team and I, Atomic Narwhals are advocating for this bill, and we would be elated if it passed. Thank you.
02-03-2025
Christina Langton [FTC #27293 CougarBots]
As a parent of a 10 year alumni of the FTC Robotics team at Kennedy High School, Cedar Rapids, I am asking you to endorse and vote for bill #SF61 which would allow schools to use Perkins funding to support their schools robotics team. Throughout her robotics career my daughter learned so many transferable skills, beyond coding and engineering, that she uses every single day as a student at Iowa State. She developed leadership skills by mentoring younger students; the engineering design process encourages students to rethink and redesign when their first (or fith) attempt fails; she perfected public presentation and speaking skills through a required 20 minute judges interview at league competitions. These are just a few of the many skills developed through this program that also help today's students to become tomorrow's thriving Iowa citizens. Please support our students, and Iowa's future by supporting bill SF61.Thank you for your consideration and continued support.