Around 50 people packed into Central Synagogue on Wednesday 8 July to welcome Area 51, a robotics team of Year 9 students from Handasaim High School in Herzliya, ahead of their bid at the FIRST LEGO League Asia Pacific Open Championship in Sydney.
In a meet-and-greet event hosted by Technion Australia, the Israeli students had the chance to share their story with the community before they competed against 50 teams from around the globe at Macquarie University.
Area 51 arrived with an impressive record. The team are the reigning national FIRST LEGO League champions in Israel, having also won Regional Champion honours, the National Core Values Award and the National Robot Performance Award.
Their success reflects the strength of FIRST Israel, the country’s national STEM robotics program, delivered in partnership with the Technion Israel Institute of Technology. The program reaches more than 25,000 young people each year, with 94 per cent of graduates going on to pursue careers or degrees in science and technology.
Team members took turns addressing the room, explaining the season’s innovation project – an automated system using a capacitive sensor and servo motor to test waterlogged wooden artefacts for archaeologists, built around this year’s FIRST LEGO League research theme. They also spoke about community initiatives the team has run in Israel, supporting special education, elementary schools, women’s programs and people in need. The robot built for competition was on display for guests throughout the evening.
Attendees, including many young children, peppered the students with questions about the robot’s engineering and the team’s journey to Sydney, with Area 51 fielding each one.
A Technion Australia representative told guests the students’ visit reflected “Israel’s start-up drive, backed by the Technion’s academic excellence” – an opportunity for young Israeli talent to showcase their work on a global stage.
Guests lined up to wish the team luck as the evening drew to a close. Area 51 went on to place 15th out of 50 teams at the championship.
Technion Australia thanked Central Synagogue for hosting the event, and JCA for its support in making the evening possible.
