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Sumo-Wrestling Robots Inspire School Kids This Spring Break at SFU
Thursday, March 12, 2015Company Profile | Follow Company
Program to highlight four two-day workshops, Monday-Thursday, March 9-12 and March 16-19
Vancouver, BC, March 12, 2015--(T-Net)--Nearly 200 elementary school students will learn to build, program and battle sumo-wrestling robots at Simon Fraser University's Surrey campus during spring break.
The Sticks and Stars and Girls in Action outreach programs, led by Surrey Schools in partnership with SFU's Faculty of Applied Sciences and HR MacMillan Space Centre, engage young, at-risk students through hands-on technology and science workshops.
This spring, for the first time, the Girls in Action program will visit SFU, with 100 girls participating. Since launching the Sticks and Stars partnership in 2012, more than 300 boys aged nine to 11 have participated in the program at SFU's Surrey campus.
“It's important for young girls to have the opportunity to try programming and engineering, and crucially, also develop the self-confidence to pursue these fields,” says program coordinator Tina Tran, an SFU undergraduate computing science student.
“The girls gain a sense of accomplishment by learning to program a ‘sumobot' in a supportive environment with student instructors and faculty mentors.”
Through this expanded partnership, SFU and Surrey Schools hope to empower the next generation of female engineers and programmers by allowing girls to explore technology in a new way.
Currently, women make up only 37 per cent of undergraduate students in natural sciences and engineering, according to Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
Learning fundamental engineering and programming concepts, the tech-hungry school kids will work in teams to create moving robots that duke it out in a final sumo robot challenge. The activities inspire students to think creatively, learn problem-solving skills and build confidence.
According to Surrey Schools, the later years of elementary school are pivotal for students to develop positive interests and influences.
“Both the Sticks and Stars and Girls in Action programs were developed to ensure that boys and girls were connecting with positive role models, looking for engaging activities and finding ways to explore their passions,” says assistant superintendent Pat Horstead.
Encouraging elementary-age students to participate in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs has also been shown to increase the likelihood they will pursue those areas of study in the future.
In addition to robot-building contests, the programs help expose young boys and girls to other opportunities that they may not otherwise have had, including space science activities with partner HR MacMillan Space Centre.
About SFU
As Canada's engaged university, SFU is defined by its dynamic integration of innovative education, cutting-edge research and far-reaching community engagement. SFU was founded almost 50 years ago with a mission to be a different kind of university—to bring an interdisciplinary approach to learning, embrace bold initiatives, and engage with communities near and far. Today, SFU is a leader amongst Canada's comprehensive research universities and is ranked one of the top universities in the world under 50 years of age. With campuses in British Columbia's three largest cities—Vancouver, Surrey and Burnaby—SFU has eight faculties, delivers almost 150 programs to over 30,000 students, and boasts more than 130,000 alumni in 130 countries around the world.
Contact:
Caitlin Dawson, Faculty of Applied Sciences, 778.782.7029; fascomms@sfu.ca
Allen Tung, University Communications, 778.782.3210; allent@sfu.ca
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