UOIT hosts aspiring young scientists at provincewide robotics championships

The life and death field of Food Safety was put under the microscope by hundreds of the brightest young minds in Ontario on January 14 at the annual FIRST ^® LEGO^® League (FLL) provincial robotics championships hosted by the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) in Oshawa, Ontario. FIRST is an acronym that means For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.

The excitement at UOIT was heightened at the end of the FLL competition following a major Government of Canada funding announcement in support of FIRST Robotics Canada (FRC). The Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) will invest up to $1.5 million in FRC to create further opportunities for students to participate in robotics competitions and real-world engineering challenges, encouraging them to look at science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields as potential study and career paths.

“Our government recognizes that to fuel business innovation, jobs and long-term economic growth, young Canadians need to explore the benefits of pursuing an education or career in scientific fields,” said Colin Carrie, Oshawa MP, on behalf of The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for FedDev Ontario. “This contribution will allow FIRST Robotics Canada to introduce more students to real-world science and technology challenges.”

(full FedDev Ontario news release)

(full FedDev Ontario backgrounder on FIRST Robotics Canada)

UOIT’s Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre will play host to FRC’s Greater Toronto East Regional Championship from Thursday, March 8 to Saturday, March 10 – the newest FRC regional in Ontario and the first FRC event in Canada this year. A total of 32 secondary school teams from Ontario and Quebec will be taking part.

If the FLL event for elementary students on January 14 was any indicator, the FRC showdown for the older competitors will be just as amazing and inspiring.

"The students amazed the judges by demonstrating how well prepared they were to apply their knowledge of math and science concepts in a high-pressure environment," said Dave Ellis, organizer of the FLL Ontario championship event. "All of the teams worked extremely hard to design, build and program their autonomous robots using LEGO Mindstorms software, present their findings and then compete against the clock. The competitors, their coaches and their parents should be very proud of their achievements and commitment to FLL's mission: inspiring young people to be science and technology leaders." 

Each year, FLL designs the competition to have teams delve into real-world scientific issues. This year's challenge Food Factor focused on food safety, where students discovered and explored innovative ways to solve and/or avoid food-related contamination issues, with the intended purpose of helping everyone lead happier and healthier lives. Robotic missions include such challenges as setting a timer and thermometer to cook food properly, washing bacteria down a sink, and clearing pollution out of our food processing.

The Ontario championship event held at UOIT was one of many held around the globe. One team has qualified for the FLL World Festival in St. Louis, Missouri in April, and another team will compete at the FLL Open Championship at LEGOLAND in Carlsbad, California in May.

“The FLL championship brings together some of Ontario’s most talented and promising students and it appropriately matches UOIT’s motto: Challenge Innovate Connect,” said Dr. Tim McTiernan, UOIT president. “UOIT is proud to host this outstanding event and congratulates all of the competitors who earned the opportunity to be here through their dedication, hard work, innovation and creativity.”

 

Awards List for Ontario East

• Champion's Award (1^st), presented by Maple Leaf Foods – Ctrl-Z (Bayview Glen, Toronto);
• Champion's Award (2^nd), presented by UOIT – GARF XI (Guardian Angels Robot Force, Waterdown);
• Champion's Award (3^rd) – CyberJazz (Oscar Peterson P.S., Stouffville);
• Robot Performance Award – Lancaster Roarbotics (Lancaster Drive P.S., Kingston);
• Innovative Solution Award – Calvilicious (Calvin Park P.S., Kingston);  
• Mechanical Design Award – Contaminant Busters (Glen Ames Sr. P.S., Toronto);
• Inspiration Award – Princess Margaret Pantherbots (Princess Margaret P.S., Niagara Falls);
• Presentation Award – Technolgix (Whitby Montessori and Elementary School, Whitby);
• Programming Award – Robo-Raptors (Independent, Stoney Creek);
• Teamwork Award – Churchill Robotics (Churchill P.S., Toronto);
• Research Award – Aweres Robotics Team (Aweres P.S., Sault Ste. Marie);
• Innovation & Strategy Award – BOT 2 (J.B. Tyrrell Sr. P.S., Toronto);
• Gracious Professionalism Award – SCS Penguins (St. Clement’s School, Toronto);
• Judges' Award – Rice Girls (The Bishop Strachan School, Toronto);
• Rookie All-Star Award – John G. Jaguars (John G. Althouse M.S., Toronto);
• Coach Award – Matt Alderson (Guardian Angels Robot Force, Waterdown);
• Young Adult Mentor – Rubika (Charles Gordon Sr. P.S., Toronto); and
• Outstanding Volunteer – John Shaw (Whitby).

 

Awards List for Ontario West

• Champion's Award (1^st), presented by Maple Leaf Foods – Strawberry Saviours (e-Bots Robotics, Oakville);
• Champion's Award (2^nd), presented by UOIT – The Safety Shrinkers (e-Bots Robotics, Oakville);
• Champion's Award (3^rd) – Legonauts (Sudbury);
• Robot Performance Award – Strawberry Saviours (e-Bots Robotics, Oakville);  
• Innovative Solution Award – KW Mean Green Eating Machine (Kitchener Waterloo Bilingual School, Waterloo);
• Mechanical Design Award – Fatima Falcons (Our Lady of Fatima C.E.S., St. Catharines);
• Inspiration Award – Omegatron (Independent, Mississauga);
• Presentation Award – Happy Carrots! (Broadacres Junior School, Toronto);
• Programming Award – The Grill Masters (e-Bots Robotics, Oakville);
• Teamwork Award – Precise Device (Fletcher’s Creek Sr. P.S., Brampton);
• Research Award – Bellewood Roboclub (École Bellewood, Windsor);
• Innovation & Strategy Award – Cod Gods (Mentor College, Mississauga);
• Gracious Professionalism Award – Sci-Borgs (Tomken Road M.S., Mississauga);
• Rookie All-Star Award – The Nerd Herd (Association of Bright Children, Hamilton Chapter);
• Coach Award – Madame Jacinto;
• Young Adult Mentor – Sarah Morrow; and
• Outstanding Volunteer – Lynn Rampertab (Oakville), Laura Thibeault (UOIT).

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Media contact
Bryan Oliver
Communications and Marketing
Ontario Tech University
905.721.8668 ext. 2209
bryan.oliver@uoit.ca