Industry Investments in STEM

L3Harris Launches Mentoring Program for Student Robotics Teams

• By Kristal Kuykendall
• 12/17/21

Aerospace and defense contractor and IT services provider L3Harris Technologies has unveiled a new program for L3Harris employees to mentor student robotics teams at 47 schools in 15 states.

With coaching and guidance from L3Harris volunteers and financial help from the L3Harris Foundation, the mentors will help student groups to design and build cutting-edge robots alongside funds to help students travel to regional robotics competitions, such as VEX, FIRST LEGO League and FIRST Robotics, the company said in a news release.

The student teams receiving the support are from elementary, middle and high schools in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.

“L3Harris volunteers will help students learn real-world problem-solving skills through team collaborations and hands-on competitions — an approach that has led to some of today’s greatest innovations,” L3Harris CEO Christopher Kubasik said in the news release. “We are proud to support programs that help increase interest in STEM and foster much-needed talent to drive future innovation.”

L3Harris and its employees have long supported robotics, rocketry, and other student technology challenges as part of the company’s commitment to philanthropy, employee volunteerism in STEM, and mission-aligned community initiatives. For example, the L3Harris Investing for Tomorrow program empowered employees to support approximately 530 virtual and other community service projects in 2020.

Schools selected for robotics team mentors from L3Harris are generally located in a region where there is an L3Harris facility or office, the company said, but the program is not strictly limited to schools in those locations, a company spokesman said. The aerospace and defense technology innovator has about 47,000 employees around the world. Find a full list of L3Harris locations at the AerospaceExport website.

Schools are nominated for the program by L3Harris employees, who apply for funding for a robotics team near the employee’s work or home; schools interested in being considered for a L3Harris mentor can apply by emailing [email protected].