FIRST Robotics Canada District Competition If the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology could pick an event that emulates its vision to inspire youth and young adults in the area of STEM, it would have to be the 2019 FIRST Robotics Canada District Competition games held this past weekend (March 8-10) at Humber College.
From the opening ceremonies to the spirited second half of the games, the whole event had a palpable energy and passion, which extended beyond the Humber gym, seeming to exude from every member of the FIRST Robotics organization.
Approximately 1,000 Ontario high school students benefited from exemplary coordination and event planning by the Community Outreach and Workforce Development, and our faculty of Applied Science and Technology at Humber College. The Award winners and Robot Team Winners can be found here.
In addition to hosting the First Robotics Canada District Competition and in keeping with Humber’s commitment to developing strong community partnerships, the College also had the opportunity to sponsor two teams for this year’s events. One of whom were the NACI Robotics team who expressed their gratitude by acknowledging the generous financial support of Humber and FAST and recognizing the positive impact of STEM in the regional culture of Etobicoke.
FRC Director John Hobbins put it this way, “When it comes to enriching Student Learning, Humber College gets it right. Humber College provided the stage for students to work alongside expert industry mentors…..providing evidence of the significant benefits of stakeholder investment in high school students and their journey of enriched learning and exposure to career pathways.”
It pleases me to see this partnership develop from our initial involvement of sponsoring a local High School robotics team to what it is today. With our vast number of related programs in Robotics to Computer Technology, the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology is well positioned to supporting the students engaged in First Robotics in their pathway to successful and rewarding careers.
This event would not have been successful without the tireless and brilliant work of organizers Lynn VanLieshout, Community outreach manager for Humber College, FIRST Robotics Director, John Hobbins, FAST Associate Deans Shaun Ghafari (Advanced Manufacturing) and Michael Auchincloss (Skilled Trades) and the dedicated Humber faculty and all the staff who worked extensively to ensure the event ran smoothly. To all of you, my heartfelt thanks.
Farzad Rayegani, Ph.D., P.Eng, FEC.
Senior Dean, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology