The NeXT GEN Team won the 2013 FIRST Lego League Global Innovation Award for developing a tool to help seniors pick up small objects, such as pills, using robotic technology.

As someone with a degree in engineering, I’ve noticed a peculiar fact. In the world of STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Math) engineering careers appear to be the ugly ducklings of the group.

There’s a lot of talk about teaching kids to code, which falls under math, computer science and technology. There’s also a huge emphasis in the media on biotech, space science, and environmental science.

But in my opinion, the lowly engineer gets short shrift. Continue reading →