FIRST® LEGO® League Student Teams from the U.S. and Sweden Join Forces with House of Sweden for International Science Education Forum, Dec. 7, Washington, D.C.

Media Invited to ‘The Way Forward for Science Education’ Where International Teams Collaborate in Research and Robotic Challenges

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FIRST®:

Who:	FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) will be joined by international public figures in discussions and student exhibits at ‘The Way Forward for Science Education’ hosted by the U.S. Swedish Embassy. Prominent speakers from government, the private sector and academia will present ideas on how to encourage learning in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines.
	Six students from three FIRST^® LEGO^® League (FLL^®) teams from Sweden and the U.S., who are competing in the 2012/13 season’s robotics challenge called SENIOR SOLUTIONS^SM, come together to share insights based on international collaboration via social communities. The students will present solutions to problems seniors may face in staying independent, engaged or connected during the Innovation Ambassadors Session I: A Kids’ Innovation Panel, followed by a discussion on Session II on The Future of STEM: A Policy Discussion which will be discussed by a panel of distinguished international experts.
	Presented by: Embassy of Sweden in collaboration with the US Department of Education, SAAB, AARP, FIRST LEGO League and IstrategyLabs
	This is an invitation only event.
	The day’s agenda will feature dignitaries and public figures from across the globe to deliver remarks in person, including:
	Morning Session – 9:30 AM to NOON PM/ EST
	--		Innovation Ambassadors: This panel will highlight the international students participating in the 2012/2013 FIRST LEGO League Challenge who have conducted joint research on improving the lives of senior citizens. The children will present their innovations, and talk about their interest in science as well as the process of collaborative learning
	--		Speakers:
		--	H.E. Jonas Hafstrom, Ambassador of Sweden to the United States; Dr. Woodie Flowers, Professor Emeritus, MIT and FIRST National Advisor; Jody Holtzman, Senior Vice President, Thought Leadership, AARP; Col. Patrick Forrester, Colonel US Army (ret.) and NASA Astronaut and the Sweden FLL team, ‘We Roll It’ and U.S. FLL teams ‘Awesome Androids’ and Abbey Robotics.’
	Afternoon Session – NOON PM to 3:00 PM/EST
	--		The Future of STEM: This panel discussion will address challenges and possibilities for the future of STEM education, and share strategies to stimulate and sustain interests, creativity and skills in STEM disciplines.
	--		Speakers:
		--	H.E. Jonas Hafstrom, Ambassador of Sweden to the United States; Dr. John Holdren, Director, White House Office of Science and Technology; Anna Ekstrom, Director General, Swedish National Board of Education; Dr. Woodie Flowers, Professor Emeritus, MIT and FIRST National Advisor; Camsie McAdams, Senior Advisor on STEM, US Department of Education; Peter Corbett, CEO IstrategyLabs; Moderator: Dr. Robert D. Atkinson, President, The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation
What:	Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. The FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is an annual international competition that challenges 9-16* year old students – working alongside adult Coaches– to design and build a robot of their own, research a real-world topic, and compete in a ‘Sport for the Mind™’ that measures the effectiveness of each robot, the power of teamwork and collaboration, and Gracious Professionalism™. Students build and program their own robots against a field of competitors and experience the excitement of science, engineering, technology and innovation www.usfirst.org.
	*9-14 in the US, Canada and Mexico
When:	Friday, December 7, 2012, 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM/EST
Where:	House of Sweden, 2900 K Street, N.W. Washington,
Media:	-- Media may register for either or both sessions by contacting Ann-Kristin Lund, Tel: [phone], Email: [e-mail]