Attended by hundreds of fans, families, educators and industry leaders, the FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition Australia Regional awarded several teams with honours that rewarded design excellence, competitive play, sportsmanship and high impact partnerships between schools, businesses and communities.
Held at the Sydney Olympic Sports Centre on March 13-14, the 33 high school student teams competed to earn a spot at the FIRST Championship, held April 23-26, 2015, in St. Louis, Missouri.
The participating students, who hail from Australia, as well as neighbouring countries of the Asia Pacific including Singapore, Taiwan, China, and the United States, are eligible to apply for over $20 million dollars in scholarships from 180 scholarship providers.
With the hope of winning one of the several coveted awards, high school students worked with professional Mentors to design and build a robot over a six week period that solved a problem using a kit of parts and a standard set of rules.
This year’s game is RECYCLE RUSHSM, a recycling-themed game played by two Alliances of three robots each. Robots score points by stacking totes on scoring platforms, capping those stacks with recycling containers, and properly disposing of pool noodles, representing litter.
“I want to congratulate all of the teams who competed, as each one of them clearly demonstrated excellent teamwork, professionalism and strategic thinking in rising to the competition’s challenges,” said Luan Heimlich, Regional Director of FIRST® Australia.
“We were also delighted with the crowd who came to support and cheer on our teams, who were clearly just as excited as our competitors. That’s what we want to see – the same level of enthusiasm that you would experience at a sporting event, but in support of achievement in maths, science and engineering.”
Sally-Ann Williams, Engineering Community & Outreach Manager from event sponsor Google, said The FIRST APAC Regional event was inspirational.
"These students are engaged, excited, passionate and creative. They come from all walks of life and yet find a commonality in exploring and engaging in STEM. It's truly a program that gives every student a chance to explore all that they can be and develop the type of skills that will be critical for Australia's future. We can't wait to see what they do next."
Since its beginning, FIRST has significantly improved students’ attitudes towards math, science and teamwork. Students who participate show increased interest in pursuing internship and employment opportunities in science and engineering, especially with companies that are involved with FIRST®.
Winners of the FIRST® Robotics 2015 Australia Regional Awards include:
Volunteer of the Year Award: Milorad Cerovic, Team 5648, the Melbourne RoboCats
Team Spirit Award sponsored by FCA Foundation: Team 5584 “I C Robotics”
Imagery Award in honour of Jack Kamen: Team 4802, Blacktown Girls
Creativity Award sponsored by Xerox: Team 4537, the RoboRoos
Entrepreneurship Award sponsored by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers: Team 3132, Thunder Down Under
Rookie Inspiration Award sponsored by National Instruments: Team 5573, Ivanhoe
Woodie Flowers Finalist Award is presented to an outstanding Mentor in the robotics competition who best leads, inspires, teaches, and empowers their team: Professor Michael Heimlich, Team 3132 Thunder Down Under
Highest Rookie Seed Award: Team 5584, I C Robotics
Quality Award sponsored by Motorola: Team 4253, TAS Robotics
Gracious Professionalism® Award sponsored by Johnson & Johnson: Team 5731 the Tiny Giants
Industrial Design Award sponsored by General Motors: Team 5127, Red Hurricane
Judges’ Award: Team 5648, the Melbourne RoboCats
Industrial Safety Award sponsored by Underwriters Laboratories: Team 3132 Thunder Down Under
Innovation in Control Award sponsored by Rockwell Automation: Team 4613 – Barker College
Excellence in Engineering Award sponsored by Delphi: Team 359, the Hawaiian Kids
Rookie All-Star Award: Team 5584, I C Robotics
Engineering Inspiration Award: Team 3132, Thunder Down Under
FIRST Dean’s List Finalists: Katherine Allen and Kiatin Williamson, both from Team 3132 Thunder Down Under
Australia Regional FRC Chairman’s Award: Team 3008, the Falcons
Regional Finalist:
Alliance Captain, Team 4613 – Barker College,
and their partners: Team 3132 Thunder Down Under,
and Team 5333 Can’t C#.
Australia Regional Champions
Alliance Captain, Team 359 The Hawaiian Kids,
and their partners: Team 4253 TAS robotics,
and Team 5601 Qingdao Eastern Sea Team
FIRST®Australia (http://firstaustralia.org/), set up in 2010 at Macquarie University, primarily coordinates the tournaments and internal operations of FLL®, FTC® and FRC® within Australia. Since its inception, FLL has grown to more than 300 teams, FTC more than 50 teams, and FRC to 25 teams. In 2014 Macquarie University signed an agreement with the FIRST to host regional events in Australia from 2015 to 2018.
FIRST® Robotics Competition Australia Regional Sponsors and Volunteers come from some of the most highly regarded organizations in the area, including Macquarie University, Google, Ford, Optus, LEGO Education, AARNet, National Instruments, Rockwell Automation, Nicole and Jerry Budd, Newscorp, BAE Systems, MacICT Centre, AndyMark, Autodesk, Manton Sea-Air, and CSC. Sponsors provide resources including time and talent from professional Mentors, services, equipment, financial contributions, and Volunteers.
About FIRST® Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST® designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $19 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC®) for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC®) for Grades 7-12; FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL®) for Grades 4-8; and Junior FIRST® LEGO® League (Jr.FLL®) for Grades K-3. Gracious Professionalism® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org.