For immediate release: October 10, 2025
Dean Kamen, Founder of FIRST®, Honored for Excellence
Jackson, NH — The New England Board of Higher Education honored Dean Kamen, Founder of FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and FIRST® Global, with its New England Excellence Award on October 9, 2025.
The award recognizes Kamen’s decades of leadership and inspiration of K-12 students to pursue science and technology. FIRST is described as, “the world’s leading youth robotics community, delivering hands-on STEM learning that inspires innovation, builds confidence, and prepares kids for life.”
Kamen founded FIRST in 1989 and today the Manchester-based organization is working in 110 countries, more than 3.2 million students have participated in programs and competitions, and 83% of FIRST alumni pursue STEM majors by the fourth year of college.
“Dean Kamen has transformed his love of invention, learning and innovation into opportunities for millions of students around the world to combine learning, fun, competition, and skill-building in ways that have long-term positive effects. FIRST programs support pathways to higher education and provide knowledge and experience that strengthen students for the learning and career opportunities ahead,” said Michael K. Thomas, president and chief executive officer, New England Board of Higher Education.
“It is an honor to receive this award; many thanks to the New England Board of Higher Education for this gracious recognition,” said Kamen. “I’ve always believed that if you give students the tools, the confidence, and the opportunity to solve real-world problems, they will change the world. FIRST is more important than ever – our programs inspire kids to think creatively, stay curious, and develop an appetite for doing good and helping others through innovation.”
Kamen was unable to attend the event so two members of the FIRST community accepted the award for Kamen – Michael Fantom, executive director of NE FIRST and Ken St. Hilaire, executive director of FIRST NH.
Inventor, entrepreneur, and advocate for science and technology
Kamen is also the founder of DEKA Research & Development Corporation and the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI) | BioFabUSA , and holds more than 1,000 U.S. and foreign patents, many of them for innovative medical devices such as the first wearable infusion pump. Kamen also pioneered the design and adoption of the first portable insulin pump. In addition to developments in medical treatment, Kamen and his company developed the iBOTTM mobility device, a powered, gyroscopic wheelchair that allows users to climb stairs, navigate rough terrain, and interact at eye level, as well as the Segway® Human Transporter.
Speakers at the event included New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) board vice chair, Thomas Chittenden, Vermont State Senator, Stephen Appleby, Director of the Division of Educator Support and Higher Education at the New Hampshire Department of Education, and Cathy Provencher, Chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire. The award was given during the New England Board of Higher Education fall meeting, taking place this year in Jackson, New Hampshire.
About the Award
Since 2003, NEBHE has formally recognized people and groups with New England Higher Education Excellence Awards for their exceptional leadership on behalf of higher education and advancement of educational opportunity.
Distinguished recipients from the State of New Hampshire have included: Father Jonathan DeFelice, former President of Saint Anselm College, philanthropist Dana Hamel, the late Lucille Jordan, President of Nashua Community College, Keene State College’s Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies, Paul LeBlanc, president of Southern New Hampshire University, the Honorable John H. Lynch, former Governor of New Hampshire, Edward R. MacKay, former Chancellor, University System of New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation Center for College Planning, the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St. Anselm College, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the UNIQUE College Investing Plan by Fidelity Investments, and James Wright, president emeritus of Dartmouth College.
About the New England Board of Higher Education
The New England Board of Higher Education is a Boston-based regional compact that advances equitable postsecondary outcomes through convening, research and programs for students, institution leaders, and policymakers. Our vision is that everyone in New England will have lifelong access to affordable, high-value postsecondary education.
NEBHE initiatives include the New England Prison Education Collaborative, which works to strengthen higher education in prisons across the region, the New England Transfer Guarantee which smooths the path for associate-degree holders to four-year institutions and an effort to expand the availability and use of open educational resources. NEBHE’s Tuition Break program provides significant tuition savings to residents of the six New England states when they enroll at out-of-state public colleges and universities within New England and pursue approved programs.