All About STEM NEWS
MerseySTEM Robotics Challenge: Ormiston Chadwick take the Halton title!
On the 8th of October MerseySTEM hosted the Halton heat of their Robotics Challenge. Four schools from the local area battled it out at Cronton Sixth Form College; Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy, Wade Deacon High School, Ormiston Chadwick Academy and St Chad’s High School.
After a day of building the best bots and battling it out, it was Ormiston Chadwick Academy who reigned supreme and earned their place in the Grand Final. Congratulations to them!
MerseySTEM in conjunction with Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) held the second of eight Robotic Challenge heats. The Halton heat was sponsored by Sigmatex Systems Runcorn. A further five heats are available to enter for other schools in the Merseyside area.
Each challenge sees teams of students from local schools take part in a full-day event, building their robots in the morning and pitting them against each other in the afternoon in a series of matches. The winning team progresses to the Liverpool City Region Grand Final competing against schools from across the Merseyside region. All teams are supported by MerseySTEM, local professionals and STEM Ambassadors to help build their machine.
MerseySTEM Managing Director Michelle Dow said, “I love our Robot Challenges, it’s great that we don’t see our competitors faces for most of the morning as they are heads down, focused on building the best robot on the day. Questions come thick and fast: What do I do with this? How does this work? Can this be my own design? If you ask a 14 year old what advanced manufacturing or engineering is, usually the answer is ‘Er dunno – a mechanic?”
“The robot day gives us the opportunity to change perceptions, challenge stereotypes, promote teamwork and provide careers advice to students using real role-models from our city. Robot Wars are nothing new, but whatever you say – robots are cool!”
“When it came to it, we knew the final at Halton would be close. The students built fantastic robots and St Chads put up a great fight but Ormiston Chadwick took it on the day. Congratulations to both of our finalists and all of our attending schools.”
Simon Reid, Sector Manager for Advanced Manufacturing, Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) said: “As the City Region’s economy continues to improve, more companies are facing a shortage of skilled workers, especially in Advanced Manufacturing. Now more than ever our future depends on a workforce with the necessary talents and training for the jobs of today and tomorrow, and the best way to ensure a steady supply of workers is through education. That is why initiatives such as the Robotics Challenge are so important; they provide an opportunity for our young people to really engage with the possibility of working in this sector and hopefully encourage them that Advanced Manufacturing is an exciting and rewarding career.”
The MerseySTEM Robotics Challenges enable students to understand a variety of design, science and engineering principles and develop leadership and problem solving skills. The events aim to inspire and excite students’ interest in robotics & to demonstrate the practical application of mathematics and engineering.
The winning school from each heat receives a ‘VEX Competition Lab Kit’ worth over £750, as well as support from VEX Robotics with the opportunity to enter a further competition that culminates in a Grand Final at Big Bang North West 2016!
Winners also go through to the Liverpool City Region Grand Final to compete against the other heat’s champions later in the Winter term!
Click here to find out more and enter the MerseySTEM Merseyside Robotics Challenge…
Relive the event on Twitter here…
MerseySTEM Robotics Challenge in pictures
Follow MerseySTEM on Twitter here
Follow The Big Bang North West on Twitter here
Like MerseySTEM on Facebook