Winning team to go on an all-expenses-paid trip to China to participate at World Robotics Olympiad

October 5, 2006

Our Own High School-Al Warqa was adjudicated winners of the UAE National Robotics Olympiad 2006, the first-ever robotics competition for schools in the UAE, held yesterday (Wednesday, October 4, 2006) at the Dubai Men's College Auditorium. The Olympiad, held under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Education, was organised by Edutech Middle East, a leading provider of technology-enabled learning solutions.

Team members from Our Own High School will now head to China on an all-expenses-paid trip to participate in the third World Robotics Olympiad (WRO) that will be held from November 17-18, 2006. Towheed Iranian School, Dubai was declared runners-up in the competition. Chief Guest, Dr. Bill Vega, Director, Dubai Men's College, presented trophies to the winning teams, while the runners-up were awarded a LEGO kit.

The UAE National Robotics Olympiad 2006 saw a total of 10 teams from schools across the country demonstrating the capabilities of their robots to a panel of expert judges. The competition followed a 'City Environment' theme, and the robots were required to trace a marked track line on the playing field, cross intersections, arrive at specified positions and grab a trash can and return, while always following traffic instructions represented by colour patches.

"In a competition such as this, participation is just as important as winning, and we congratulate all the participating schools for displaying their creativity, innovation and technological skills in a highly competitive setting. We specially congratulate Our Own High School-Al Warqa for winning this Olympiad, and we are confident of them coming up with another superlative performance at the WRO in China," said ASF Karim, Managing Director of EDUTECH.

The teams were judged on design, functional description, software logic, team work, presentation skills and the ability of the robot to complete the track. In a closely matched contest, it was the extra intersection on the track included by Our Own High School-Al Warqa that gave them crucial additional points which helped them win the Olympiad.

"EDUTECH is proud to have organised the UAE National Robotics Olympiad 2006, and the response generated by this event is ample proof of the significance of robotics in today's education system. The steadfast efforts of the UAE Ministry of Education to provide high quality education to students has seen robotics being introduced as a part of the academic curriculum in several schools in the country. The UAE National Robotics Olympiad provided a perfect platform for school students to exhibit their creative skills, and their aptitude for robotic design and mechanical engineering. The competition was also another opportunity for EDUTECH to complement UAE's vision of creating a knowledge economy, as we seek to hone the skills of the younger generation."

Dr. Bill Vega, Director, Dubai Men's College, said, "It is indeed an honour for Dubai Men's College to host the first UAE National Robotics Olympiad. The staging of such an event, in many ways represents the coming of age of UAE's education system, and is also reflective of the country's rapid advancement in a technology-reliant age. This competition was an excellent opportunity to introduce high school students to an important branch of engineering, namely Mechatronics, and we are certain that the event would have triggered creative ideas in the minds of our students for future graduation projects."

The World Robotics Olympiad is aimed at young scientists from around the world to demonstrate their creativity and engage in a friendly robot competition to develop their analytical skills. The first WRO was held in 2004 at Singapore and the second WRO was held in Bangkok, Thailand last year. The 2006 edition of WRO is expected to witness participation from Australia, China, Denmark, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Russian Federation, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and UAE, among others. 

"The schools participating in the UAE National Robotics Olympiad 2006 benefited immensely from the workshops and training provided by EDUTECH to fully prepare them for the competition. We are now focused on providing the best possible training to Our Own High School, in an effort to help them triumph at the World Robotics Olympiad," said Karim. "We are also thankful to all the sponsors of UAE National Robotics Olympiad and the Ministry of Education for their continuous support all through."    

Masafi and Dubai Men's College were the support sponsors of UAE National Robotics Olympiad 2006. The all-expenses-paid trip of Our Own High School-Al Warqa to China is being sponsored by EDUTECH and LEGO Education, a leading manufacturer and supplier of robotic solutions.

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About EDUTECH:
Edutech Middle East is the leading provider of technology enabled solutions that enable Academic Institutions and Business Enterprises like Petrochemical Industries, Banking & Financial, Manufacturing, Healthcare & Hospitality and Government & Defense to meet their learning and knowledge needs. EDUTECH combines years of experience with technology and content to deliver rapidly deployable knowledge solutions thereby enabling faster learning cycles, increasing access to information, and reducing cost, efforts and investments. It helps organizations build, manage and measure learning outcomes by providing solutions based on the comprehensive Knowledge Solutions framework that blends content and infrastructure into a single and seamless solution. Headquartered in Dubai, EDUTECH has a global presence with offices in Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Malaysia, India and US.  For more information, please visit www.edutech.com.

For more information, please contact:
Ms. Vijayachitra J
Assistant Manager-Marketing
EDUTECH Middle East
P O Box 52334, Dubai,
UAE
Tel: +9714 3911032
Fax: +9714 3911031
Email: vchitra@edutech.com

CommuniGate Middle East
PO Box 65922, Dubai,
UAE
Tel: +971 4 3988134
Fax: +971 4 3988137
Email: info@communigateme.com
Website:www.communigateme.com

© Press Release 2006