First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, last evening said that the recent success by the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Guyana team at the 2017 First Global Challenge in Washington, D.C is a testimony of what investments, particularly by Government and the Private Sector in STEM education can yield for young Guyanese, according to a government release.
The team, which placed 10th out of 165 countries overall, was enthusiastically received by the First Lady as well as several other Government officials last evening at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, after three days of fierce competition in the United States.
According to a release from the Ministry of the Presidency, in an invited comment on the side-lines of the welcome reception, Mrs. Granger said that despite being exposed to Robotics training just months ago, the team was able to compete among countries such as Russia, China and the United States, even topping the points board on Day One of the competition. She noted that despite encountering severe challenges, the team was able to overcome and this must be commended.
“I think that the way our team has performed by coming 10 out of 165 countries, has shown what can be done when we consider that we have not had Robotics in this country for even a year and our young people have come together, worked as a team, demonstrated their skills and have also become very good Ambassadors for our country because we saw how they interacted with the other teams and supported even their rivals to bring a different level of sportsmanship,” First Lady, Mrs. Granger was quoted by MOTP as saying.
This, she said, demonstrates what can be achieved by the young minds of Guyana once the opportunities are presented and all the necessary investments made.
Ms. Farnaz Khan, the team Manager, in an invited comment, said that the Guyana team is proud of its accomplishments since its challenges were numerous but they were determined to make the nation proud.
Ms. Khan said that the inspiration for the Robot was drawn from all across Guyana, particularly the Koker system, the rice combines and lines used to hang clothes in some households.
“Our entire robot is drawn from inspiration around Guyana and Guyanese culture. We used the Koker system here in Guyana to design our pull up mechanism for the robot and we were able to score top points in all six rounds for that; the conveyor, which was placed in front to collect the balls, that inspiration came from combines used in the rice fields and in Guyana we use clothes line so we used something like that to hold the shafts apart in the robot,” she said.
The team comprised Mr. Anthony Frank, Ms. Arrianna Anisha Mahase, Mr. Christopher Larence Nelson, Ms. Farnaz Baksh, Mr. Horace Moseley, Mr. Ricky Chan, Mr. Ryan Anthony Benschop, Mr. Sahief Poese and Mr. Vevekeanand Ramnarace.
