Jerusalem became a vibrant showcase of diversity and scientific minds in late March, as safety-goggle-clad high school students from across the country gathered to compete in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition.
United by their passion for science and technology and distinguished by their varying team shirt colors, more than 1,000 students and 45 robots participated in the national championship, where spirits were high and toolboxes were aplenty.
Robots were tweaked and tuned between rounds, with student engineers adjusting cords and tightening screws and bolts. The "drive teams" took to the battlefield to steer their robots as hundreds of students cheered them on.
After rising to the finals at the regional tournament earlier this month and winning the coveted Creativity Award, the 45-strong XO #7039 Hadassah Neurim Youth Aliyah Village robotics team faced off against 44 teams at Nationals. The competition was fierce, with the promise of a trip to the US for the World Championship for the top-ranking teams.
Missile-warning sirens disrupted the lunchtime chatter, but spirits remained high as students and mentors took cover together before resuming the competition.
Hadassah Neurim has participated in the FIRST program for seven years now, working each season to design and build a robot that conforms to the tournament requirements. This year's robots had to be engineered to carry out three distinctive tasks: hooking tubes onto branches, throwing balls into a net and hooking the robot onto a cage to be lifted off the ground at the end of the allotted time.
While the team did not rank high enough to compete in the US this year, the Hadassah Neurim students are still the village's true champions. They work hard year-round to develop the skills to build robots that can perform multiple functions, a task that would be daunting for most adults.
In the words of Ami Magen, Hadassah Neurim's director, "Our robotics team is a reflection of the entire educational process that has been taking place in the village in recent years." And what a process that is; teamwork, creativity, problem-solving and exceptional skills are paving the path to a better future for the students of Hadassah Neurim.
