ROBOT WARS: RISE OF THE TECH KIDS
ALMOST 30 schools, 300 students and, as Kerry football legend Ogie Moran put it, a perfect combination of passion and fun made for a hugely successful Kerry Robotics Championships – though there were some serious objectives behind this inaugural event.
On Wednesday last, 11 secondary schools took part on the opening day of the championships, with 18 primary schools stepping up to the plate at IT Tralee’s North Campus the following day. These schools ranged from parts of south Kerry such as Kenmare and Ballinskelligs to as far north as the likes of Ballyduff and Tarbert.
John Walsh of the IT’s Department of Computing explained that the event was a way of promoting matters such as coding and STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths). But it also provided an avenue to help students make more informed career choices.
“There is a national issue of students going on to third level and taking computing-type courses – but many drop out because they don’t know what these courses entail,” he said. “Through this event, which was a massive success, they got to grips with many aspects of computing. For example, one part of these championships saw the teams take part in games, where there robot may have had to be programmed to stack hubs, hang from bars, drop a ball into tubs, and so on.
“Some of the skills involved would have included coding, design, teamwork and strategy – including having to work with other teams in the interest of your own success!
“I also thought it fitting for the week that was in it, with International Women’s Day, that Presentation Tralee won a judges’ award!”
The best-performing schools in these skills and others received awards after, while Kieran Donaghy also called in to offer his words of encouragement – as if having Ogie Moran present wasn’t enough!