For the past 19 years, the IEEE Ottawa Robotics Competition (ORC) has been Ottawa’s largest volunteer-run robotics competition for grade 5 to 12 students with over 600 attendees. Because ORC is the only volunteer-run robotics competition in Ottawa, the ORC can uniquely offer a low cost and beginner-friendly competition for Ottawa’s youth that provides an entry-point into the world of programming and engineering. ORC encourages young participants to employ their imagination to construct robots to compete in a number of categories. Core categories typically include a line-following drag race, sumo where robots identify and push their competitor out of the ring, and a drawing contest where a mobile robot uses a pen to draw a sketch. Other categories have revolved around maze navigation themes. The goal of this project is to reduce barriers to participation so more students can experience the benefits of participating in the Ottawa Robotics competition.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the competition to considerably reduce its scope to be compatible with social distancing. This required a remote, virtual format with teams effectively competing using video conferencing.  Traditionally, ORC has partnered with public schools around the city, relying on the work of teachers to run teams. However, with the cancellation of in-person activities during Ontario’s school lockdown, most students in Ottawa have lost the opportunity to participate. Students rely more than ever on parent/guardian volunteers to organize teams and to fill the gap in STEM education. However, surveys have revealed that many parents feel poorly equipped to run a team virtually. Teachers who are interested in resuming clubs also lack sufficient equipment to allow students to work remotely. 

A major goal of the program this year was to recruit more supervisors so students have sufficient mentorship to guide them through a robotics challenge. This will help to reduce barriers to participation so more students can experience the benefits of participating in the Ottawa Robotics competition. About 18 teachers and parents responded to recruitment efforts this fall, and the program included participation of 60 students with the help of 17 volunteers. We worked to address these issues by 1) reaching out to low-income schools to train and register robotics clubs, 2) donate robotics kits to schools and community groups in need, and 3) provide resources to help teams transition to working in a virtual format.

The Ottawa Robotics Competition Supervisor Training Program was funded by the IEEE Pre-University STEM Portal Grant Program in 2021.