Qatar National Library, in collaboration with Texas A&M University at Qatar hosted the First Tech Challenge (FTC) competition at the Library on 30-31 March. The event brought together students from grades 7-12 across schools in Qatar to design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in a head-to-head challenge with other participating teams.
Training sessions for both teachers and students were delivered before the competition by Texas A&M at Qatar in their STEM Hub, a joint initiative teaching space sponsored by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF). The mentors help students develop science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills and practice engineering principles while realizing the value of hard work, innovation and working as a team. The teams were judged on the speed and accuracy with which their robots could follow specific tasks.
On the occasion, Hind Al Khulaifi, Manager of Children's and Young Adults' Library at Qatar National Library said, “The Library received a great number of students participating in the First Tech Challenge competition, a testament to the growing interest in science and technology within the youth community. We aim to support students learning of STEM through our event programming, resources and collections at the Library, helping them build important life skills for the future.”
Through sponsorship from QNRF, the two competition winners from the FTC will have a chance to participate in the First Championship in Houston, Texas, United States. The First Championship is the culmination of international youth robotics competitions and an annual celebration of STEM.
Dr. Mohamed Gharib, a mechanical engineer at Texas A&M at Qatar who mentored the teams and organized the competition, said, “I am proud that we could bring FIRST Tech Challenge to Qatar and develop a high-level training program for the students and teachers. The FIRST Tech Challenge will enable the students to practice hands-on project-based learning. It prepares students to think like engineers and empowers their critical-thinking and leadership skills.”
The Library will continue to regularly offer robotics, coding and programming workshops and learning sessions as part of its program of events to encourage young learners with an interest in computer science and information technology.
Texas A&M at Qatar is a branch of Texas A&M University and is located in Education City. The university offers undergraduate degrees in chemical, electrical, mechanical, and petroleum engineering, and a master’s degree in chemical engineering.
