From March 12 to 14, high school robotics teams from across Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and New York State descended on Durham College (DC) and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology’s (UOIT) Oshawa campus for the 2015 FIRST^® Robotics Competition (FRC) Greater Toronto East Regional competition. FIRST is an acronym that means For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.

The event, a last stop before the FRC World Championship taking place in St. Louis, Mo. in late April, was free to the public and saw more than 1,000 student participants compete on more than 45 teams, as they demonstrated their engineering skills and knowledge using the Recycle Rush^SM program.

The fierce three-day robotics showdown concluded with the alliance of team 2056 (Orchard Park Secondary School), team 2852 (Denis Morris Catholic High School) and team 3710 (Frontenac Secondary School) being crowned champions and earning a coveted spot at the world championship.

“At DC we celebrate the spirit of innovation fostered by these FIRST^® Robotics competitions and look forward to hosting this exciting event on our joint campus every year,” said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “Competing in the FRC is a great way to prepare students for a post-secondary education in science and technology.”

Competing in head-to-head challenges, teams guided their robots through a recycling-themed game in an attempt to dispose the “litter” and collect as many points as possible during the two-minute-and-30-second match. Within the first 15 seconds, robots operated independently from their drivers to earn points by moving themselves. Competitors were also recognized for robot design excellence, sportsmanship and teamwork.

Competitors also had the opportunity to fine-tune their robots in the Durham College Machine Shop, where DC students and staff were on-hand to assist with the repairs.

“The teams thoroughly enjoyed themselves, their cheers definitely made that obvious,” said Nisarg Sanchela, co-chair for the Greater Toronto East Regional planning committee. “The event was a great success and we look forward for many more to come.”   

The full list of Greater Toronto East Regional winners and special award recipients can be found on the FRC website.

 FIRST^® Robotics Canada is an international, not-for-profit organization dedicated to inspiring young people’s interest and participation in science and technology.

For more information about FRC, please visit http://www.firstroboticscanada.org/main/frc/.