I used to be a hardware design engineer so this program brings me back to that creative place. As a judge I get to interview the students and inspect the robots for design, quality and innovation. I really enjoy working with the students, learning why and how they designed their robots to achieve the game challenge. It is amazing that is six short weeks these kids can design and build a fully functional robot to compete in the competition. They are uninhibited and really do come up with some very creative ideas. One of the robots was made completely out of wood, now that’s thinking outside the box!

Want to learn more?  Visit www.usfirst.org.

Best,
Sherry Zins, Membership Development Manager, WTIA



Mike Atkinson, Areva T&D, WTIA Board Member & Sherry Zins, Membership Development Manager, WTIA



2010 Judges

About F.I.R.S.T.
The WTIA is proud to support FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) whose robotics programs inspire our youth to dream of becoming science and technology leaders. FIRST was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, NH, the 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills. For more information, visit www.usfirst.org.

Currently, healthcare is a much debated and complex topic in the U.S. While the legislative debate rages on, there are many healthcare stakeholders from all ends of the equation are interested in what the future of health IT holds. In order to spur local conversation around the subject, the WTIA hosted an event last night titled, “Healthcare-IT—Innovations That Will Transform Healthcare Now and in the Future,” to a nearly sold-out crowd of over 240 at Herban Feast in SoDo.

Moderated by Joel French, the founder and managing director of Nephalios Group, the panel contained representatives that ran the gamut of the health IT conversation from employee wellness (Henry Albrecht, CEO of Limeade) to pharmacy (Carla Corkern, CEO and chairman of Talyst) to patient care (Luis Machuca, CEO Kryptiq) to insurance (Mohan Nair, executive vice president and CMO of Regence) to medical records (Michael Raymer, global market strategist and general manager for Microsoft’s Health Solutions Group).

After French’s opening statements about the four main issues at the center of the health IT debate (cost, quality, access/coverage, wellness), many enthusiastic attendees lined up for the entire hour and a half for their chance to pick the brains of the elite panel. Greg Huang of Xconomy Seattle nicely summarized several of the tougher questions brought forward in a blog post here. Boiling down the passionate dialogue, most people were interested in the issue of data liquidity (aka ‘the magic pill’) and security of electronic health records. While several panelists agreed to politely disagree on a couple topics, the overall consensus was that we still have a long way to go with educating consumers, legislators, companies, and doctors on the ‘how’s” and “why’s” of improved health IT.

All in all, the event was a huge success! We’re already looking forward to the next two events: Fall Networking at Pike Brewery [September 30] and the 12^th Annual Oktoberfest at Redhook Brewery [October 7]. We hope to see you there!