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Students from 34 countries around the world have arrived in Abu Dhabi and have begun setting up their materials for the 8th International World Robot Olympiad (WRO) 2011 being hosted this year by Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center.
The WRO is one of the largest international robotic competitions for students, who compete in teams to assemble robots that will participate in challenges to solve a specific problem. The WRO platform allows young students to learn and apply their knowledge in science, engineering, math and computer programming to build an intelligent robot.
Participating countries include: UAE, Korea, Nigeria, Mongolia, Australia, Ukraine, Thailand, Taiwan, Syria, South Africa, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Qatar, Philippines, Peru, Oman, Mexico, Malaysia, Lebanon, Kuwait, Japan, Iran, Indonesia, India, Hong Kong, Greece, Germany, Egypt, Denmark, Costa Rica, China, Bolivia, and Bahrain.
In addition to international competing teams and delegations, special guests will include a student team from Japan who will deliver a presentation to their international peers about their experience through the recent earthquake and tsunami. The Adult Fans of LEGO, who produce life size LEGO figures, have also set up a display of their work for the event.
Dr. Najla Al Naqbi, Program manager at ADEC, said: “There is a tangible excitement in the air as students are preparing themselves to bring their best performance for this competition. They have also been taking the opportunity to explore Abu Dhabi and learn about our culture.”
Friday also marks the opening of the 4th International Symposium on Robotics in Education, commencing with a keynote speech from Dr. Fraser M. Smith, President of Raytheon Sarcos. The speech will be followed by a panel discussion on the future of robotics in education, including panelists: Dr. Mohammed Tabbara, Professor in Computer Sciences at the Higher Colleges of Technology; Dr. Abdullatif Al Shamsi, Managing Director of Institute of Applied Technology (IAT); Steven Canvin, Global LEGO Mindstorms Community Manager; Anthony Hill, ICT Faculty lecturer at Emirates College of Advanced Education; Fred Ayala, Team Manager of International School Manila Nucleatrons; and Dr. Fraser Smith.
Press Release On Saturday, November 19, day two of the symposium will see leading international education and technical experts presenting papers on robotics in education.
The competition will begin on November 19th, with an opening ceremony at 9:30am and will conclude with a closing ceremony at 2pm on November 20th.
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