VEX Robotics Australian State Championship Tournaments will take place in across Adelaide, Sydney, and Victoria for in-person events and an online Live Remote Tournament. Adelaide is first to kick off here in Australia on 6 March. The new format is to accommodate Covid-19 and limit travel and numbers while Australia rolls out its vaccine, while also giving give all VEX Robotics participating teams an equal chance to qualify for VEX Worlds and the best possible event experience. The competition will once again bring STEM skills to life amongst children aged from grade 3 to 12.
The Adelaide event kicks off at the Adelaide Convention Centre. Doors will open to the public from 8am and will feature interactive STEM exhibitions on-site for visitors to enjoy. Students, families, and all attendees will have the opportunity to see the different pathways and opportunities available to them in the world of STEM beyond school aged robotics.
In New Zealand, Kiwibots (The New Zealand Robotics Charitable Trust) will present the 2021 New Zealand VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) National Championships in partnership with the REC Foundation, VEX Robotics and Auckland Unlimited. This particular event’s date remains to be confirmed, in-line with New Zealand’s lockdown regulations.
Nurturing bright minds
VEX Robotics Sales Director AU & NZ Nicole Champagne says that their company envisions a world where every student can be inspired by the excitement of hands-on, minds-on STEM learning and the feeling of creating something with technology.
“Students thrive with hands-on STEM experiences and we love to see this come to life with competitive robotics. They are learning the most important skills across the subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) which will provide them the problem-solving skills for our future work force. We are passionate about VEX Robotics in the classroom but know the best opportunity to learn soft skills such as collaboration, communication, time management, problem solving, iteration and developing computational thinking come from competitive robotics.”
Kiwibots New Zealand National Manager, Janet Van, says “For many of these students, their future careers may not even exist yet. Programmes and competitions like these ensure we future-proof all young kids/tamariki with the skills that will mean they are prepared for the technological world that awaits them”.
She believes it’s important that these programs are accessible to kids of all backgrounds and ages, so that not only are our future workforces prepared with the right skills, they will also better reflect the societies that they serve.
SMC Corporation plays its part
Recognising the importance of STEM in today’s landscape, SMC Corporation Australia New Zealand will once again come on board as a proud judge and sponsor at this year’s event.
“SMC has worked with VEX in the past and their work continues to impress us. They nurture and engage with students who will add great value in our field in the years to come. We are excited to be part of the judging panel at this prestigious event”, says SMC New Zealand Branch Manager Shyam Suresh.
“More than ever before, our industry needs upcoming STEM graduates and SMC is here to pave the way for aspiring engineers across New Zealand and Australia.”
More about the VEX Robotics national tournament
VEX is an internationally acclaimed, first-of-its-kind robotics competition. These competitions provide a space for students to develop and showcase industry relevant skills, including engineering design, teamwork, trial and error, hands-on prototyping, as well as digital and technical literacy.
More than just a ‘battle of the brains’, the competition rewards adaptability, resilience, and sportsmanship as well as technical skill. The competition celebrates STEM education and exposes students to future employment opportunities.
In terms of the competition mechanics, students will team up to program, design, and build a robot to work together collaboratively scoring points in the VEX IQ Competition and compete with an alliance against another alliance in our VEX Robotics Competition. The winners will then go on to compete in VEX Worlds – this year we will be using a Live Remote Tournament platform providing the best robotics teams around the globe a chance to compete together in May 2021 with final dates to be confirmed.
