The three-member robotics team which represented Namibia at the FIRST Global Challenge in Geneva, Switzerland some two weeks ago described the experience as wonderful, exhilarating and motivating.
Christofina Magongo, Tauno Amakali and Benn Visser arrived back home last week, full of energy to take their robotics careers to the next level and put Namibia on the map in this ever-evolving field.
The international robotics competition for teenagers who are enthusiastic about science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) saw Namibia and alliance countries from Estonia, Jordan and Turkmenistan ending seventh overall in the semi-finals out of eight groups.
The alliances of Lithuania, Belize, Switzerland and Botswana were crowned overall winners.
The 2022 theme was ‘Carbon Capture’, which challenges FIRST Global teams to reimagine the future of the earth’s climate.
Team captain Magongo said participating made her realise that the youth of Namibia can change the country for the better.
“I view the First Global Challenge as an initiator for change-makers and global connections to solve the world’s grand challenges,” she told Youth Corner.
Magongo, who has been into robotics for two years, wishes for the country to be supportive in everything and anything the youth do, and help them achieve their goals using technology.
She looks forward to pursuing studies in robotics and STEM fields.
Visser viewed the competition as one of the biggest collaborations of countries all over the world to achieve one goal – the reduction of carbon emissions.
Asked what Namibia should do to get to the level of the top competitors, he said the country must create the opportunities in schools for youth to get involved in robotics development programmes, and to inspire Namibia’s youth to become part of robotics programmes.
“Government schools can incorporate robotics as a subject to better prepare students for study fields and careers in STEM fields,” he suggested.
Visser, who started with robotics at the beginning of the year, said he learned that no matter what country you are from, when you work together, you can achieve the impossible.
His future plans in robotics involve studying mechatronics, biomechanical engineering or mechanical engineering.
For Amakali, the competition was an eye-opener for young adults like himself, who are still figuring out their future career paths.
“I would love to complete my grade 11 year and focus mainly on improving my robotics, especially programming, as I actually found inspiration in the competition,” said the youngster, who has also been doing robotics for two years now.
His hopes for Namibia include for the country to first develop its economy, be in talks with more countries, and implement more strategies to improve the country.
Established by inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen, FIRST Global is a US-based non-profit public charity that aims to inspire science and technology leadership and innovation in young people from all nations, to increase understanding, impress the importance of cooperation, address the world’s most pressing issues, and improve quality of life for all by igniting a passion for STEM among the more than two billion youths of the world.
Namibia have participated in all the challenges since 2018, and participants have brought back plenty of safety awards.