FIRST founder and Ghana college president to receive honorary degrees

Dean Kamen, the founder of FIRST, will be recognized with an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree and address the first of three Waterloo Engineering Spring Convocation ceremonies on June 16.

An inventor, entrepreneur and advocate for science and technology education, Kamen founded FIRST, which stands for

 For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. The organization is dedicated to helping young people discover the wonder and rewards of science and technology. Kamen, pictured to the right, also created the Segway Human Transporter.

Each year, Waterloo Engineering hosts the FIRST Lego League and FIRST Robotic competitions for elementary and high school students.
 

Dean Kamen, right, and Patrick G. Awuah Jr., below left

During the afternoon ceremony, Patrick G. Awuah Jr., will receive an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree and address convocation.

Awuah is the founder and president of Ashesi University College, a private, not-for-profit institution in Ghana. Awuah, a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and the McNulty Prize, is contributing to a renaissance in Africa by educating a new generation of entrepreneurial leaders in Africa.

A third Waterloo Engineering convocation ceremony will take place at 6:30 on June 16.