This April, the Faculty of Engineering received the inaugural Educational Partner Award from FIRST Robotics Canada. Waterloo is the first institution to receive this honour — testament to a long history of collaboration and support.
FIRST Robotics Canada organizes robotics competitions for students from elementary to high school. In 2005 Dr. Rob Gorbet, a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, and Dr. Maud Gorbet, a professor in the Department of Systems Design Engineering, with the support of then Waterloo Engineering dean Dr. Adel Sedra, reached out to the organization and offered to host the competition on campus grounds. Dr. Peter Teertstra, a lecturer in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering and director of the Student Design Centre, now leads the planning of Waterloo’s FIRST competitions.
Armaan Sengupta, a second-year mechanical and mechatronics student, credits FIRST with giving him hands-on engineering experience and guiding his career ambitions.“I was always interested in engineering, but my FIRST experience showed me that this is something I really enjoy and want to do. It really clarified things for me. When I applied to universities, I exclusively applied for mechatronics engineering.”
Go to Celebrating a partnership for robotics education for the full story.
Monday, May 6, 2024