Hundreds of Ontario high school and intermediate students gathered November 30 at Ontario Tech University for the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science's (FEAS) 17th annual Engineering Robotics Competition, an event designed to spark student's interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Held in the large triple gymnasium of the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre, the competition was attended by 80 teams consisting of 417 students between Grades 7 to 12.
Students were tasked with using LEGO Mindstorm technologies (programmable robots based on LEGO building blocks) to design, build, and program Sumo Bots'. Student teams also created posters to showcase their robot designs and highlight the skills they used to build them.
For the final test, their Sumo Bots' went head-to-head in the arena to outlast and eliminate other competitors, with the last robot standing claiming the title of champion.
The robotics competition gives students hands-on experience with coding and mechatronics while also developing their skills at working collaboratively.
Judges for the 2024 competition included:
- Eda Aydin, Assistant Teaching Professor, FEAS
- Jana Abou-Ziki, Assistant Professor, FEAS
- Jerry Kan, Postdoctoral Researcher, FEAS
- Varaprasad Oruqanti, Postdoctoral Fellow, FEAS
This year's winning teams:
- 1st place: Team 78 from St. Stephen Secondary School (Bowmanville)
- 2nd place: Team 33 from St. Stephen Secondary School (Bowmanville)
- 3rd place: Team 23 from Father Michael Goetz Secondary School (Mississauga)
- Referees' Award for Sportsmanship: Team 13 from Scarborough Academy for Technological, Environmental and Computer Studies (SATEC) @ W.A. Porter Collegiate Institute (Scarborough) and Team 36 from Trafalgar Castle School (Whitby)
- Women in Engineering Award: Team 36 from Trafalgar Castle School (Whitby) and Team 23 from Father Michael Goetz Secondary School (Mississauga)
- Most Novel Design: Team 40 from Ajax High School and Team 26 from Pickering High School
- Best Engineering Design: Team 27 from Dr. Robert Thornton Public School (Whitby) and Team 47 from W. Sherwood Fox Public School (London)
- Best Poster Design: Team 34 from Trafalgar Castle School (Whitby) and Team 62 from Albert Campbell Collegiate Institute (Scarborough)
- Best Coach/Mentor Award: Shawn van Andel from Knox Christian School (Bowmanville), and Ryan and Michael from Toronto District Christian High School
The Engineering Robotics Competition was organized by Ontario Tech University Engineering Outreach, a unit in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, which delivers a wide range of engineering outreach programs for Kindergarten to Grade 12 students in Durham Region and surrounding communities.
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"Organizing this event has been such a beautiful and rewarding journey. I was truly inspired by the teams' energy on competition day and how much hard work they put in. I am also extremely proud of the Engineering Outreach Team for doing an excellent job working efficiently and making the day a success."
-Zahraa Bassyouni, Program Co-ordinator, Ontario Tech Engineering Outreach
