NEWS RELEASE – March 19, 2007 – Ray Almgren, National Instruments vice president of product marketing and academic relations, addressed educators from around the world on March 15 at the International Technology Education Association 69th Annual Conference in San Antonio. The conference brought together educators, curriculum directors and administrators involved with technology and engineering education in secondary and post-secondary schools to participate in workshops and professional development sessions designed to help promote science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in the classroom. During his keynote address, Almgren recognized outstanding technology education programs and discussed the important role engineering education plays in the industry.
He stressed the importance of project-based learning and incorporating leading-edge technology into curriculum to give students hands-on experience with the tools they will use as professional engineers. National Instruments has been heavily involved in STEM education and has worked closely with product partners and programs including LEGO Education, Vernier Software and Technology, FIRST LEGO League, Project Lead the Way, The Infinity Project and FIRST Robotics. Almgren leads the technical marketing operations for National Instruments as well as the company’s worldwide academic relations program. Throughout his 19-year career at National Instruments, he has devoted significant effort to enhancing science and engineering education and inspiring students to pursue technical careers.
He pioneered many of the company’s academic and university relations programs, including the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT project, which combines LEGO MINDSTORMS with National Instruments LabVIEW graphical development software to introduce robotics and control in grades K-12. The International Technology Education Association (ITEA) is the professional organization for technology, innovation, design and engineering educators. ITEA’s mission is to promote technological literacy for all by supporting the teaching of technology and promoting the professionalism of those engaged in this pursuit. ITEA strengthens the profession through leadership, professional development, membership services, publications and classroom activities.
About National Instruments
National Instruments is transforming the way engineers and scientists design, prototype and deploy systems for measurement, automation and embedded applications. NI empowers customers with off-the-shelf software such as NI LabVIEW and modular cost-effective hardware, and sells to a broad base of more than 25,000 different companies worldwide, with no one customer representing more than 3 percent of revenue and no one industry representing more than 10 percent of revenue. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 4,000 employees and direct operations in nearly 40 countries. For the past eight years, FORTUNE magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America.
