[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 80 (Thursday, June 18, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1162-E1163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING WHEELING AND ROLLING MEADOWS HIGH SCHOOLS' PARTICIPATION IN 
                 THE CAPITOL HILL ROBOTICS INVITATIONAL

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JOHN EDWARD PORTER

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 18, 1998

  Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to rise today to 
recognize the students and teachers from Wheeling and Rolling Meadows 
High Schools in Illinois who have been selected to participate here 
today on Capitol Hill in the ``Robotics Invitational.'' These students 
and teachers are part of a national robotics program that is supported 
by the FIRST Foundation--For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and 
Technology. This creative program engages young people in science and 
engineering through fun activities that have practical applications. 
Earlier this year, over 9,000 students, representing 200 teams 
participated in regional contests that led to finals at the Disney 
Epcot Center in Florida. Working with identical boxes of raw materials 
and credit for the purchase of additional supplies, these teams set out 
to design a robot that could play ball like Sammy Sosa. I am proud to 
say that the robot designed by the Wheeling and Rolling Meadow could 
play in the Majors and I am sure that they will do very well in today's 
competition.
  Science and engineering is an extremely important component of a high 
school education. Excellence in these fields has helped to propel the 
U.S. to its leadership role in the world

[[Page E1163]]

today. While the Mars Pathfinder was developed from slightly more than 
a small box of raw materials, the individuals who helped to accomplish 
this tremendous feat most likely had their interest sparked by 
engineering competitions similar to the one on Capitol Hill today.
  Best of luck to Wheeling, Rolling Meadow and the other teams in 
today's competition and I hope that these young people will continue 
their education and even pursue careers in the exciting fields of 
science and engineering.

                          ____________________