Thus, in the 2018-2019 edition, BRD FIRST Tech Challenge Romania, organized by the Natie Through Education Association, brings together 145 robotics teams and over 2,000 high school students from all over the country, with the number of participants trembling against the first edition of the program.
This year, the FIRST Tech Challenge is FTC ROVER RUCKUS, with participants having the mission of creating robots for exploring other planets.
This year's edition of BRD FIRST Tech Challenge Romania will culminate in March 2019 with the National Robotics Championship in Bucharest and the World Robotics Championship in Detroit, USA, where Romania will be represented by the winning teams of BRD FIRST Tech Challenge Romania.
"We are glad and grateful to note that Romanian youngsters passionate about robotics are receptive to an unexpectedly large number of learning environments according to their needs, through pragmatic projects and developed in the team. By building robots, students correctly fix the theoretical notions in the curriculum, anchor them and use them concretely. In BRD FIRST Tech Challenge Romania we meet the generation of those who learn and build with the thought of the future, "said Roxana Milos, Brand Communication Manager BRD - Groupe Société Générale.
"Robotics reaches more and more high schools in Romania.After the success of the first two editions and, especially, after the world's 1 st place at the International Robotics Olympics in Mexico, we have over 2000 high school students in this project from all over Romania. Among these children are future inventors and technology innovators. It is fabulous to meet them and to spend time with them and the fact that they bring them under the umbrella of the FTC is a plus for Romania, "said Dana Razboiu, President of Natie Through Education.
After the first two editions of BRD FIRST Tech Challenge Romania, the number of participating robotics teams increased considerably from 54 teams in 2016 to 145 teams this year and the number of participating students increased from 810 teenagers in 33 cities , at the first edition, to nearly 2,000 students from 77 localities in Romania, at present.
In the global circuit of FIRST Tech Challenge, Romania is ranked No. 3 as the number of participating teams, after the United States and China. And the Robotics team that represented Romania won gold and the world's first place in the International Robotics Olympics - FIRST Global Challenge 2018.
Of the approximately 1,500 high schools in Romania, 8.8% (132 high schools) participate in BRD FIRST Tech Challenge Romania with at least one robotics team, only two years after the launch of the program.
In the absence of robotics laboratories, mentors and mentors work in improvised spaces in physics, computer science, or former storage facilities in high schools with 3D printers, robot training ground, tool kits and other necessary materials was possible by registering with BRD FIRST Tech Challenge Romania and by fundraising actions of the teams.
Within the Polytechnic University of Bucharest there is the BRD FIRST Tech Challenge Romania hub, a workplace and training facility available to all participating teams.
The 2,000 high school students participating in BRD FIRST Tech Challenge Romania 2018-2019 come from cities such as Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara, Iasi or Constanta, as well as from small towns like Beclean, Eforie Sud, Pechea, Dorohoi or Petrila.
Most of the robotics teams submitted to FIRST Tech Challenge are from Bucharest and the counties of Prahova, Constanta, Cluj-Napoca and Timis.
Among the localities with the lowest number of inhabitants represented in this year's edition of BRD FIRST Tech Challenge are localities such as Ineu (Arad County), Stei (Bihor County), Beclean (Bistrita-Nasaud County), Dorohoi Botosani), Eforie Sud (Constanta County), Racari, Gaesti and Moreni (Dambovita County), Pechea (Galati County), Petrila (Hunedoara County), Harsova (Iasi County), Urlati and Valenii de Munte Prahova county) or Jimbolia (Timis County).
The 4 winning teams of the previous edition of BRD FIRST Tech Challenge Romania - XEO from "National College of Horea, Closca and Crisan" in Alba Iulia, QuantumRobotics, from "Bucharest International Computer Science High School", Qube from "Mihai Colegiul National The Brave "in Bucharest and Technogods from" Ecaterina Teodoroiu National College "in Targu Jiu qualified for the World Robotics Championship in the United States of America in Detroit, where the teams XEO and Technogods represented Romania in the semifinals of the international competition.
The support of BRD FIRST Tech Challenge Romania is part of BRD - Groupe Société Générale's commitment to engaging in the development of the young generation through educational projects involving the use of technology and innovation under the MINDCRAFT - development hub platform at BRD.
