The Indiana House of Representatives on Tuesday voted unanimously to advance State Rep. Chuck Goodrich’s (R-Noblesville) bill to expand opportunities for Hoosier students to learn about the growing field of robotics.
Goodrich, a member of the House Education Committee, said House Bill 1382 would create a grant program for Hoosier schools to establish their own robotics teams.
Goodrich
“Robotics programs are instrumental to the future of STEM education, and can create hands-on, real-world learning experiences,” Goodrich said. “Creating this grant opportunity would allow students in schools large and small to explore the innovative and creative world of robotics.”
Goodrich said his legislation would create a grant fund managed by the Indiana Department of Education for K-12 schools to create and develop competitive robotics programs. Grant dollars could be used to pay for a team mentor, supplies, to participate in competitions, and to establish or maintain the team.
Goodrich said these grants would ensure programs provide hands-on learning experiences, foster community partnerships and highlight career opportunities through the use of adult mentors. These mentors will prioritize a connection to manufacturing and machinery skills.
According to Goodrich, Indiana currently has about 3,000 students from 30 percent of school corporations in after-school robotics programs. He said this bill could help grow participation to 18,000 students representing 60 percent of school corporations around the state. He said his legislation was modeled after a similar program in Michigan that saw a 400 percent increase in student participation.
HB 1382 now heads to the Indiana Senate for further consideration. For more information about this legislation, visit iga.in.gov.
State Rep. Chuck Goodrich (R-Noblesville) represents House District 29, which includes a portion of Hamilton County.