Dean Kamen speaks at WPI, given medal

Dean Kamen spoke to the National Consortium for Specialized Schools of Mathematics, Science, and Technology on Friday, March 30. The convention was held from Thursday, March 29 to Saturday, March 31, to find fresh ways to use technology in education. As part of the event Friday night, Kamen was awarded WPI's inaugural Presidential Medal.

President Edward Parrish presented Kamen with the first ever Presidential Medal. The medal was established in 2001 to recognize people who, according to the pamphlet handed out about the medal, "through their professional or personal accomplishments, have exemplified the ideal of the technological humanist." One reason Parrish cited for giving the award to Kamen is that he founded FIRST.

Kamen said that he thinks FIRST is unique because it deals with the "demand side, not the supply side" of the education problem. The problem, according to Kamen, is that a large number of middle class high school students don't care about math and science. He said that the problem is worse among minorities and women. "The program pre-selects to help the kids that need the most help," he explained. Building a robot is "incidental" in the FIRST program; helping students see that they can get a career in math and science fields is the main purpose of FIRST.

In the FIRST program, a college or a company sponsors a high school team. Kamen mentioned that he has found many corporations willing to make an investment. However, Kamen also said that he was "in general, dismally disappointed" because few colleges sponsor FIRST teams. He feels WPI is an exception; since FIRST was founded ten years ago, WPI has sponsored a Massachusetts Academy team every year.

Kamen has also founded another part of FIRST, which he compared to a little league, called the Lego League. The Lego League started two years ago, and this year will have two thousand teams competing from elementary and middle schools.

Kamen was a member of the Class of 1973, however he did not graduate from WPI. "I spent a few years as a freshman here," he said. He came to WPI to "get an education, not a diploma." Kamen spent much of his time speaking to the faculty, instead of going to classes. "I got an education," he explained, "which is what I wanted, and then I left." He also attributed much of his ability to succeed to the time that he spent at WPI. Kamen was awarded an honorary bachelor's of science from the Physics department several years ago, and he has also been awarded an honorary doctorate from WPI. Kamen said that he was "very proud" to be receiving the WPI Presidential Medal. "More importantly my father and mother are really proud," he added.