Van Hollen, Cardin, Trone Announce Over $400,000 to Expand Robotics and Engineering Education in Allegany County

Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and U.S. Congressman David Trone  (all D-Md.) announced a total of $403,600 in funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), as well as state and local governments for the REACT Institute for STEM Education (RISE) Computational Thinking Initiative. The combined funding, with $170,000 made available through ARC and $233,000 from the State of Maryland and Allegany County, will be used to renovate and develop a new robotics education space to establish a high school competitive robotics team. The project is expected to help 150 students develop robotics skills. 

“Providing students with a high-quality STEM education will pay dividends for our state and ensure that Marylanders are prepared for future careers in engineering and technology fields,” the lawmakers said. “Working with ARC and local leaders, we remain committed to investing in these young leaders and innovators in our state. We look forward to seeing the incredible opportunities this program will offer to Maryland students for years to come.”

The ARC is a regional economic development agency that represents a partnership of federal, state, and local governments. Established by Congress in 1965, ARC is comprised of the governors of the 13 Appalachian states and a federal co-chair, who is appointed by the President. Local participation is provided through multi-county local development districts.