The students of Ivanhoe Central recently welcomed back Professor S. Bruce Dowton to his hometown, as they undertook two days of robotics workshops with FIRST.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an organisation created in the US to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people, their schools, and their communities.

Macquarie is the home of FIRST Australia, and responsible for hosting annual robotics events around the country.

With the help of staff and FIRST mentors, students of all ages took part in the Ivanhoe workshops. Kindergarten students made LEGO creations, while older students developed Ivan the robot, a machine prepared to take on challenges in this year’s FRC Recycle Rush competition.

“Watching these young people begin as shy and unsure, and grow in confidence and enthusiasm through their curiosity was a sheer delight and really highlighted for me the power of education and its impact on the lives of young people,” said Professor Dowton.

“Every child has the potential for greatness and programs like FIRST provide an extraordinary opportunity for rural students in particular to have experiences that might not otherwise be available in their communities. Seeing them realise the enormous possibilities the world has to offer reminded me how important the work we do here at this University is.”

The team also assisted the new FRC team at Yanco Agricultural High School, near Leeton and Narrandera, in building their first FRC robot.

Next month FIRST Australia will be hosting the 2015 Australia Regional FIRST Robotics Competition, which will see 36 student teams from around the Asia Pacific and the US compete with an original robot they have designed and built over six weeks. Both the Yanco and Ivanhoe teams will compete at this regional tournament.