A local team of young robot makers is getting the chance to experience the world of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
Royal Thunder Robotics, made up of eight students, grades 5 to 8 from four different Sarnia schools, has been meeting twice a week since September.
Team Mentor Sarah Morrow said the goal is to get kids involved in STEM and to give them an opportunity to try something out of the classroom.
"Our participants came to Start First and we hosted it last summer -- it was just two weeks, about an hour and a half at night, a free program that kids could come out to to try robotics, and they could just kind of build their robot and do missions however they please, and we invited a couple of them back to try out for the team."
Morrow was a member of Royal Thunder 14 years ago when she attended Rosedale elementary, the school where the team was first created.
"My biggest thing for them is I want them to experience first the way I did when I was a team member way back when, and just getting to share that experience with them is just really great."
Recently, the team competed at the London FIRST LEGO League Regional Tournament at Western University, where it placed first in the Robot Design category and fourth overall out of 12 teams.
A robot designed by the Royal Thunder Robotics' grade 5 to 8 team displayed at the London FIRST LEGO League Regional Tournament at Western University. November 30, 2019. (Photo from RTR)
"So their robot used multiple sensors -- they had two colour sensors, a gyroscopic sensor, and multiple rotation sensors, as well as I believe five attachments -- one was a permanent forklift attachment, and then they had five removable attachments that they took off during their competition."
Morrow also received the Outstanding Mentor Award at the competition.
Royal Thunder Robotics FIRST Robotics Competition team, made up of students in grades 8 to 12, is preparing for its rookie season starting in January and will be competing at the University of Waterloo in March and Western University in April.