Students, robots, ready...
Robotics teams from across the Wimmera will put their science, technology, engineering and mathematics – STEM – knowledge to the test at Holy Trinity Lutheran College next week.
The school will host its second Horsham Regional Robocup Junior Challenge on Wednesday.
College technology teacher Adam Engert said Robocup Junior was affiliated with Robocup, an international effort to foster artificial intelligence, AI, and robotics research.
Robocup Junior is a project-orientated educational program providing robotic events for students.
Competition co-founder Brian Thomas, formerly of Horsham, is working with teams in the lead-up to the challenge and will help organise the event.
Mr Engert said the school-based event, which started in 2000, had a wealth of benefits for students, serving as a basis for project-oriented education.
“We organised the inaugural event in Horsham in 2019. We couldn’t do it last year because of COVID,” he said.
“We have three schools and a robotics club registered for next week at the moment.
“We have two new organisations coming in, so it’s slowly getting bigger. The furthest one is up in Beulah.”
Mr Engert said Robocup Junior Australia was a not-for-profit organisation comprised of teachers.
He said next week’s event was part of a bigger program that involved training staff and students.
“We’ve invited staff to come over for professional development days. We then give them resources to help the students compete,” he said.
“We’ll quite often give the students bits of coding and tips along the way.
“It is a competition, but the main goal is just to get kids involved and get them interested in robotics and engineering.”
Mr Engert said regional winners could go on to compete at state and national level, depending on COVID rules.
International competition is on hold because of the pandemic.