3,2,1…. Robotic challenge blasts off in Collinsville!
Scientific enquiry, teamwork and persistence were all put to the test in a robotics competition today for primary students from three schools in the Collinsville area.
The annual STEM Proud Robotics competition was delivered by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) in partnership with Thiess.
Over 30 upper-primary students from Collinsville State School, St John Bosco Catholic School and Scottville State School entered the competition, working in teams to design, program and operate EV3 robots to complete a series of challenges.
Queensland Resources Council (QRC) Director of Skills, Education and Diversity, Ms Katrina-Lee Jones, said the annual competition was a great platform for them to discover more about digital technology and its impacts.
“The teams completed three challenges using their robots, with each activity modelling an aspect of mining operations – fleet management; exploration and production,” said Ms Jones.
“They had support from technology expert Dr Damien Kee to help them problem-solve any design or programming challenges.”
“They are fascinated by new technology, so this competition is ticking all the boxes – technology, teamwork and a lot of friendly competition!”
Chris Bourke, Thiess’ General Manager Mining – Australia East Operations said they were excited to once again be supporting the annual STEM Proud Robotics competition with schools in the region.
“Digital technology is constantly evolving in the resources landscape, and I am sure it will continue to grow and have an impact on safety, operations and productivity,” said Mr Bourke.
“My hope is today’s competition has sparked the enthusiasm of these young scientists for digital technology and they will continue to study it into the future.”
The school teams were judged on their design, operation and successful completion of each of the challenges, with a tie for first place for the teams The 1%ers from Collinsville State School and NikNaks from Scottsville State School.
Collinsville State School was crowned the overall winning school of the 2024 STEM Proud Robotics competition.
The annual STEM robotic competition was a highlight for the students and the Collinsville State School students were ecstatic to win the overall trophy, with one of the team members saying that team planning and strategy had been an important part of the win.
“The STEM robotic competition day is a lot of fun and we learnt a lot!”