Twenty winners from Rimouski to Montreal - Congratulations to the 3,500 young participants of the 3rd Robotics Festival, an unprecedented success!

MONTREAL, March 22, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - Approximately 5,000 people attended Saturday afternoon's closing ceremony of the third annual Robotics Festival. Some 20 prizes were awarded. Midway through the day, Diane De Courcy, Quebec Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities and Minister responsible for the Charter of the French language, and Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre were on hand to encourage the young competitors prior to their final matches.

Presented by Bombardier and the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation, in association with BMO Financial Group, Saputo and Montreal Hooked on School, and organized by Youth Fusion and FIRST Robotics Quebec, the Robotics Festival aims to combat high school dropout rates and foster the next generation of Quebec scientists, engineers and technologists. This year, the international competition drew over 3,500 young students, including a record number of girls (nearly 30%), from 97 elementary and high schools, primarily from disadvantaged communities in Quebec.

A NASA-sponsored international competition
The challenge for 14-18 year-olds is part of a wider international robotics competition sponsored by NASA, which will attract over 55,000 young students this year, from 2,750 schools. Of the 40 teams competing in Montreal, six qualified for the international final, slated for late April in Saint-Louis, Missouri. They are: the top three teams, i.e. Collège Régina Assumpta (Montreal), École secondaire La Montée (Sherbrooke) and École secondaire La Courvilloise (Beauport), as well as the teams from Collège Saint-Bernard (Drummondville), Séminaire de Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke) and École secondaire Saint-Henri (Montreal).

Here is the list of all prizes winners :

• Outstanding Volunteer Awards: M. Charles Litalien from Pratt & Whitney Canada and M. Jean-Sébastien Poirier from Bombardier Aéronautique, for their exceptional contribution to the Festival's success.
• Team Spirit Award: École secondaire Marguerite-de-Lajemmerais, Montreal.
• Imagery Award: École secondaire Paul-Hubert, Rimouski.
• Creativity Award : École secondaire Honoré-Mercier, Montreal.
• Entrepreneuship Award : École secondaire Georges-Vanier, Montreal.
• Rookie Inspiration Award : École secondaire La Ruche, Magog.
• Woodie Flowers Finalist Award : Simon Lajoie, école secondaire Henri-Bourassa, Montreal.
• Highest Rookie Seed Award: Polyvalente de Saint-Georges, Saint-Georges-de-Beauce.
• Quality Award : École secondaire Saint-Laurent, Montreal.
• Gracious Professionalism ^MD Award: École secondaire La Frontalière, Coaticook.
• Industrial Design Award: Collège Régina Assumpta, Montreal.
• Judges' Award : École secondaire La Courvilloise, Beauport.
• Industrial Safety Award : École secondaire Saint-François-Xavier, Sarnia (Ontario).
• Innovation in Control Award : École secondaire Saint-Henri, Montreal.
• Engineering Excellence Award : École secondaire La Montée, Sherbrooke.
• Regional Finalist Award : École secondaire Honoré-Mercier (Montreal), École secondaire Saint-Laurent (Montreal) et École secondaire Henri-Bourassa (Montreal).
• Regional Winner Award : Collège Régina Assumpta (Montreal), Seminaire de Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke) et École secondaire La Courvilloise (Beauport).
• Rookie All-Star Award : Collège Saint-Bernard (Drummondville).
• Engineering Inspiration Award : Séminaire de Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke).
• Dean's List Finalist (ex æquo) : Pierrick Arsenault, école secondaire Paul-Hubert (Rimouski) et Ronit Dhar, école secondaire Saint-Henri (Montreal).
• Regional Chairman's Award: École secondaire Saint-Henri (Montreal).

Web Site: www.festivalderobotique.ca

About FIRST Robotics Quebec
Competitions organized by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) are designed to offer young students a tangible and stimulating experience. FIRST was started in 1989 in Manchester, New Hampshire, by Dean Kamen, the humanist inventor who created the Segway, to lend a spark to students' career choices by showing them that engineers and researchers can lead interesting and rewarding lives. FIRST Robotics Canada was born in Ontario in 2001, where four Montreal public schools were able to compete for the first time in 2010 thanks to Youth Fusion. FIRST Robotics Quebec was established that same year. Youth Fusion and FIRST Robotics Quebec joined forces in 2012 to organize the first-ever Robotics Festival in Quebec.

Above and beyond the spectacular entertainment value it provides, the Robotics Festival is first and foremost where young and emerging science and technology enthusiasts from Quebec can acquire hands-on experience and find the motivation to stay in school and strive for academic success.

About Youth Fusion

Youth Fusion is an award-winning Canadian charitable organization, created in Quebec, which establishes innovative partnerships between disadvantaged schools and universities, in an effort to lower dropout rates. It does so by creating and implementing yearlong projects that engage youth in learning, and motivate them to attend school.

SOURCE: Robotics Festival

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