John Wilkens PhD ’77, right, meets with team 365 during a FIRST com- petition. Wilkens and his wife, Lucie Wilkens PhD ’77, are longtime FIRST mentors and leaders of the MIT Club of the Delaware Valley; their son, Chris Wilkens ’07, MGN ’08, is a FIRST team alumnus.


MIT-FIRST Alliance Engages Alumni and Students


T e MIT-FIRST Alliance, in its second full year, has stimulated many alumni to form teams or to help out at competitions as mentors, judges, and volunteers this year. T e alliance with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) engages alumni and students in inspiring youth to consider science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) careers through robotics contests conducted with competition that is fi erce, yet with a sense of fair play and respect for peers.


In one example, Sandra Contreras MBA ’06 created and operated a FIRST program for 52 elementary school students in Broward County, Florida. She serves as the MIT Club of South Florida’s Inspire Volunteer, helping to engage fellow alumni in a variety of K-12 STEM education activities.


Other MIT-FIRST events included a coaches’ gathering organized by the MIT Club of Washington, D.C.; alumni receptions at regional competitions organized by the MIT clubs of Boston, Hartford, New York City, South Texas, and Northern California; and an admitted-student and alumni-mentor reception at the international championships in St. Louis, Missouri.


Get involved in alumni K-12 STEM eff orts.


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