Vote for KC STEM in March Matchup

Your vote can help win $5,000 for STEM from KCP&L

As college basketball fever reaches its peak, KCP&L created its own March Matchup with a tournament-style bracket filled with 32 of its partner nonprofits competing head-to-head for $5,000. KC STEM Alliance has reached the final four and we need your vote to advance to the finals and a shot at the $5,000 prize! Vote here: www.kcpl.com/marchmatchup no later than Friday, March 25!

FIRST LEGO League Jr. Showcase: April 2

Come see how children ages 6 to 9 are getting a jump start on solving world problems during the FIRST LEGO League Jr. Showcase from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 2, at University of Kansas-Edwards Campus.

After studying this season's Waste Wise theme, teams will share posters about their research and demonstrate models with motorized parts they've built using LEGO elements. The event is free and open to the public. See the attached flyer for more details.

Join Us for Nation's Largest Senior Showcase!

Celebrate the ingenuity and creativity of 305 Project Lead the Way students in engineering and biomedical sciences during the nation's largest showcase of Senior Capstone projects.

9-11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, April 19
Sprint Festival Plaza
at Union Station
Kansas City, Mo.

See more details.

Kansas City Wins National LRNG City Challenge

Kansas City was named one of eight winners of the national LRNG City Challenge, which means KC STEM Alliance and partners in the ecosySTEM KC initiative will have access to a new platform to share science, technology, engineering and math opportunities with students in the metro.

The LRNG platform connects and organizes local learning experiences to give students access to opportunities both in and out of school. The platform will help develop a workforce better prepared to meet future needs, said Kari Keefe, executive director of KC Social Innovation Center, which will administer the $50,000 grant that accompanies the LRNG designation.

Through LRNG, students can immerse themselves in their interests through a platform that connects existing civic organizations, public institutions and businesses with online programming. By completing â€œplaylists,â€ or pre-planned combinations of real-world experiences and online learning, students earn digital badges to beef up resumes and land internships or other opportunities.

Along with KC STEM Alliance, key partners are KC Social Innovation Center, Kansas City Mayor Sly James and his education team, and Kansas City Public Library.

Kansas City joins a national movement that includes Chicago, Dallas, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., which have already worked as established LRNG Cities. Other LRNG City Challenge winners are San Diego, San Jose, and West Sacramento, Calif; Columbus and Springfield, Ohio; Rochester, New York; and Philadelphia, Pa.

Greater KC Regional FIRST Robotics Competition Results

Congratulations go to each and every one of the 59 teams that participated in the Greater Kansas City Regional FIRST Robotics Competition earlier this month! Six teams advanced to the FIRST Championships Worlds in St. Louis April 27-30. They include:

Regional Chairman's Award: Team 1764 (Liberty/Liberty North--pictured above)
Regional Finalists (pictured below): Teams 1986 (Lee's Summit West), 1775 (Lincoln Prep) and 4455 (Warrensburg)
Rookie All Star: Team 5801 (Fort Osage CTC)
Engineering Inspiration: Team 1939 (The Barstow School)

This competition could not take place without the support of hundreds of dedicated volunteers, including Scott Goering, who received the 2016 Outstanding Volunteer of the Year award, and employees of Cerner, which received this year's Corporate Volunteer of the Year honors.

10th Anniversary Recognition

As we wrap up the exciting 10-year anniversary of FIRST in Kansas City, we'd like to give a special shout out to those organizations that have sponsored the regional competition for all 10 years. They include:

Stay up to date on all of the FIRST news in Kansas City at www.kcfirst.org and see more of Chuck Maples' great photography of the event here.

Thank you to our sustaining partners: