Goa continues with
innovative moves to ensure its residents continue to stay ahead. The first
State in the country to introduce robotics in its school curriculum now aims to
make that field accessible to everyone in the state. Robotic kits will be
awarded to the students of the Sanjay School for Special Education today,
December 13.
The students will learn all about robotics
under the guidance of Sunaya Shirodkar, who has more than seven years of
experience as a professor in an engineering college in the Department of
Electronics and Telecommunication. Through her career as a professor, she has
gained extensive knowledge and expertise in the field of technical education.
She has been recognised for her contributions to the field of education and
innovation. She was selected as the Regional Mentor of Change by NITI Aayog,
the policy think-tank of the Government of India. She has also been named the
Mentor of the Month twice by AIM NITI Aayog, a program aimed at promoting
innovation and entrepreneurship among school and college students.
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These students will participate in the
FIRST Tech Challenge India Championship which is a highly competitive,
tech-focused FIRST Tech Challenge Championship. FIRST Tech Challenge students
(3 to 15 participants & eligibility is from class 7 to class 10+2) learn to
think like engineers. Teams design, build, and code robots to compete in an
alliance format against other teams. Robots are built from a reusable platform,
powered by Android technology, and can be coded using a variety of levels of
Java-based programming. This tournament will be held in Goa at the Shyama
Prasad Mukherjee Stadium, Bambolim from January 25-28.
The Goa International Robotics Festival
2024 will feature the prestigious FIRST Tech Challenge India Robotics
Championship and an engaging Robotics Exhibition showcasing the FIRST Tech
Challenge (FTC) Robotics competition.
The organisers aim to inspire young people to be science and
technology leaders and innovators, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based
programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire
innovation, self-confidence, communication, and leadership.
In the challenge contestants are challenged to design, build,
program, and operate robots to compete in a head- to-head challenge in an
alliance format. Participants call it ‘the hardest fun you’ll ever have!’
Guided by adult Coaches and Mentors, students develop STEM
skills and practice engineering principles (like keeping an engineering
notebook), while realizing the value of hard work, innovation, and sharing
ideas. The robot kit is reusable from year-to-year and can be programmed using
a variety of languages, including Java. Teams also must raise funds, design and
market their team brand, and do community outreach for which they can win
awards. Participants have access to tens of millions of dollars in college
scholarships. Each season concludes with Super-Regional Championships and an
exciting FIRST Championship.
Research has revealed that adolescents with autism are attracted
to technology. Experiences of students with autism who participated in
after-school robotics clubs were analyzed. It has emerged that students with
ASD were engaged and interested in FIRST robotics and technology. They enjoyed
coming up with ideas, inventions, and creating or solving missions. Their
confidence increased and they learned to work better on teams.
Ashvin
Savant Founder and CEo of Infinity X says,” We have wanted to host this
Festival in Goa for a while. Goa is the ideal destination for an International
Robotics Festival, and we are excited to have teams from the Sanjay School of
Special Education, participating in this event. Special mentors have been
assigned to guide students to take part and experience this festival. The
students can use these robotics kits to learn and get integrated into the
philosophy of FIRST even after the event.” There are 15 awards in each
division. The top two teams will represent India at the World Championship in
April 2024 at Houston, USA. There will be North American university
scholarships for winning students and Internships Opportunities with sponsors.
