FIRST Creates Opportunities for Kids to Get Interested in STEM

In this edition of What Keeps You Going, Larry Cohen, president of FIRST, explains how he stays motivated.

The Siemens Competition in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math puts the greatest young minds in research to the test. Contestants are judged on their research in topics ranging from better cancer diagnosis to better understanding of black holes, and from cybersecurity to preventing deadly hospital infections. The winning team, made up of Arooba Ahmed, Jillian Parker, and Jiachen Lee, joined Cheddar to discuss their game-changing findings. The trio successfully identified a protein that could potentially play a role in a number of diseases, including Alzheimer's. They explain that their interest in cell division led them to decide this was the right issue to tackle. The finding means they may be able to manipulate the levels of this protein to impact other events involved in several diseases. One of Parker’s main motivations for entering the competition was the under-representation of women in science. She highlights the importance of having a female role model, and hopes to be an inspiration for others. In the finals, the trio were the only all-girl team.

Morris Miller, CEO of Xenex Disinfection Services, discusses how the LightStrike germ-zapping robot could aid in the fight against the coronavirus.