On February 25 and 26, the YCIS Shanghai Robotics Team went to Tongji University for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Tech Challenge. The team was represented by two Year 10 students and Physics teacher Paul Torrington, as the remaining team members were in Thailand for the annual Year 12 study abroad trip.

Twenty four other teams hailed from Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Wuxi to take on the challenge. After five matches, YCIS Shanghai finished at a very respectable seventh place. The team was also honoured to be chosen as an ally by one of the semi-finalists, and was later awarded first place for design. “This was a valuable experience for both the school and us,” says Year 10 student Dennis. “We hope the school will do even better next year!”

FIRST designs accessible, innovative, mentor-based programmes that give students an opportunity to apply science and technology concepts learned in the classroom to real-world engineering problems. The programme reaches 250,000 students in grades K-12 annually. Students work on open-ended challenges and create their own solutions, while developing teamwork, presentation and business skills.