High-school students from across Ontario are gearing up for an electrifying competition at Niagara College’s Welland Campus this weekend.
From March 8 to 9, NC will host more than 1,000 students, parents, mentors, and supporters from across Ontario for the FIRST Robotics Competition. As part of the 2024-25 FIRST Robotics Competition season, students in grades nine to 12 will take on the FIRST® DIVE℠ challenge, an ocean-inspired theme highlighting sustainability and problem-solving through robotics.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Niagara College for this incredible event,” said Dave Ellis, President of FIRST Robotics Canada. “This collaboration provides students with an unparalleled opportunity to showcase their skills, gain real-world STEM experience, and learn how technology can create meaningful solutions to global issues like ocean sustainability, while spending time on the beautiful grounds of Niagara College.”
Niagara College’s own Dr. Marc Nantel, Vice-President of Research, Innovation and Strategic Enterprises, will serve as Judge Advisor, overseeing all the competition judges.
“As soon as I volunteered, I was hooked. A FIRST Robotics competition is like sports with robots, with all the energy and good sportsmanship that comes with it,” said Nantel, who has been judging the competitions since 2008.
Teams will design, build, and program robots to tackle tasks that simulate underwater ecosystems, such as deploying “Coral” and “Algae” game pieces and navigating the “Barge” truss structure. The competition fosters critical thinking, teamwork, and creativity, preparing students to address real-world challenges through STEM.
“To see the enthusiasm and ingenuity that these high-school students put into their robotics teams is truly inspirational,” said Nantel, whose own kids have previously competed in the competition and later pursued engineering studies.
“The skills – both technical and essential – that these students learn and practice through FIRST Robotics will follow them their whole life. And they will make them excellent recruits for Niagara College.”
For the College, the competition is a fantastic recruitment opportunity for the best and brightest. More than 1,000 guests, including high-school students and their families, will converge on the Welland Campus.
“At a time when domestic student recruitment is more crucial than ever, hosting this competition is a great opportunity for the College to show itself at its best: the campus, our programs, our staff and faculty, and our NC Life,” said Nantel.
Janet Allan, a member of the College’s Board of Governors, is the Volunteer Coordinator, and has served with FIRST Robotics for over 20 years.
“As a member of the Niagara College Board of Governors, I’m impressed by the commitment that the College, and its students, have to innovate and problem solve,” said Allan, a retired Partner from KPMG LLP. “I was pleased to learn that NC offered to host a FIRST Robotics event, as they share the same goals of preparing the students of today with the skills they need for world of tomorrow.”
The robots will face-off in the Reefscape-themed game arena in the Simplii Financial Athletic Centre. The Learning Commons will serve as the “pits” for student teams to work on their robots.
Want to see the robots in action? The FIRST Robotics competition is a family-friendly event and free for spectators. Parking is also free.
Niagara is home to some of the world’s best teams, and the College’s Research & Innovation division is sponsoring a local, independent team, Quickstrike, who are being mentored by the Niagara Robotics Association.
NC recently donated a retired RoamIO, a 200-kilogram robot previously used for applied research in smart-farming. The robot is now a learning tool for the next generation of STEM innovators.
Following the regional competition at NC, top innovators will progress to provincials and then world championships in April.
For more information about the FIRST Robotics competition, visit: www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc/game-and-season.
