U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley wants to see more robotics competitions and summer science camps nationwide. He visited Hillsboro High School, a hub for those activities, to announce his plan to ask for a secured $500-million for those programs when the "No Child Left Behind Act" is re-written later this year. Grants would be evenly divided among the states based on population. In Oregon, Merkley says: “That will boost science, engineering, technology and mathematics programs in the State and that’s enough to make a real impact.” Merkley says, as a nation, we must improve education in science and engineering if we hope to remain competitive with other countries.