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Eleven students from Jamaica College (JC) are preparing to compete against classmates from around the world in the United States after they came out on top in robot-building competition. JC won the local leg of the inaugural FIRST® Tech Challenge National Robotics Championship in March.
Now, the JC boys have qualified for the space-themed FIRST® Tech Challenge World Championship, titled “Rover Ruckus,” to be held in Houston, Texas, April 17-20, 2019, where they will compete for the prestigious Inspire Award, which provides them with opportunities for local and international college scholarships.
Members of the winning team were gifted smartphones by Digicel and were among the first to sign up for the company’s new “Hit the Ground Roaming” program. The program, now available in more than 60 countries, includes lower calling rates, free incoming calls, generous bundled talk time and up to 1 GB of data. Now in Texas, students and teachers are able to make and receive calls, and send photos and videos to friends and family back home.
Commenting on the awards, Elon Parkinson, Public Relations and Communications Manager at Digicel, said: “We are proud to support Jamaica’s young Ambassadors of Innovation and we wish them all the best as they compete against some of the brightest minds from around the world. Being able to stay connected and share their journeys in Houston is so important to the team members and we are delighted that our new roaming plans provide them with more than enough minutes and megabytes to do just that.”
In thanking Digicel, Jamaica Academy Principal Wayne Robinson said: “This is a great choice and Digicel has been a great technology partner for us. Giving the children access and phones means that even when they are on the go, they can use mobile data to send back all their lovely photos.”
As Jamaica’s Digital Lifestyle Partner, Digicel is also committed to expanding STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) learning opportunities in schools across Jamaica.
The company recently hosted students from St. George’s College and Immaculate Conception High School for a live Research Day at Durham College in Ontario, Canada. Durham College is ranked as one of Canada’s leading post-secondary institutions of applied research, developing practical technology solutions to real-world problems.
The announcement comes after the Digicel Foundation opened its newly renovated science laboratory at St Catherine’s High School.
“There is a wealth of local talent ready to do great things. With this in mind, our mission is to support the development of Jamaica’s next generation of innovators who will be key to the transformation to a digital society,”
The young engineers were tasked with building a robot that could navigate a playing field within a set time while moving objects from one place to another. They also had to fully demonstrate to the judges how they went from idea to prototype. Controlled by a smartphone and onboard sensors, JC’s battery-powered robot was able to mimic the way space robots move objects from one place to another, and sometimes even move on its own.
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