Students challenged to be energy smart at robotics competition

Hundreds of students from across Nova Scotia will converge on War Memorial Gym at Acadia University to compete in two exciting robot programming competitions Saturday, Nov. 24, 1-8 p.m.. This year’s event will challenge students to get energy smart.

The third Acadia High School Robot Programming Competition (ages 14-18) will feature 20 high school student teams competing to build and program robots to complete timed challenges, such as line tracking, maze navigation and object removal.

The second Annual FIRST LEGO® League (FLL) Power Puzzle Challenge will feature 20 teams of students ages 9-14.

To complete the Challenge successfully, teams must build and program a LEGO MINDSTORMS robot to explore one of today’s most critical issues: how to create sustainable options to meet our planet’s growing energy needs in a way that’s good for the environment.

Challenge missions include personal vehicle choice, solar panels, wind turbines, hydro-dams and planting trees. Through hands-on experience and working in teams, children have a chance to explore a real-world issue through research and robotic programming to gain an appreciation for and interest in science and technology.

The competition is coordinated by Acadia’s Jodrey School of Computer Science and funded in part by Michelin, Nova Scotia Department of Education, Nova Scotia Community College, Eastlink, Nova Scotia Business, Inc., Nova Scotia Department of Economic Development, Eastpoint Engineering, eLab, Inc., and RIM, with additional support from numerous community organizations. - Submitted