Macquarie is home to FIRST Australia, a robotics program which this week will host the Australia Regional FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) for more than 1000 high-school students from around Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, China and the United States.
Macquarie-based Team 3132 (or ‘Thunder Down Under’) will compete at the major public event in Sydney Olympic Park, which will showcase 36 teams’ hard work designing and building an original robot in just six weeks. The students will be competing against each other for a spot at the FRC Championship to be held in St. Louis, Missouri, 23-26 April, and in the process will network with peers, big-name sponsors like Google, and potential employers and scholarship providers.
FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was created to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people, their schools and communities. Macquarie has been the home of FIRST Australia since 2010, hosting year-round robotics events around the country for students of all ages.
Various staff and students will be involved in the event, as event organisers, team mentors, and volunteers. Outside of the science and engineering space, student language volunteers from Macquarie International have offered to assist the teams from China to feel right at home during the competition.
“FIRST has captured more than the school students’ imaginations. We’ve received interest in the event from across the University from both professional perspectives and out of personal interest. It’s a great family event and an eye-opener for school students, so everyone is welcome to come and join the fun!” said Luan Heimlich, Regional Director of FIRST® Australia.
Macquarie staff and their families are invited to attend the event on Saturday 14 March, Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre. Admission is free.