I am a rookie member of HNMCS Robotics. Robotics is not only popular among the students but is known across Mississauga. As a rookie member, HNMCS Robotics allowed me to experience driving, controlling, and understanding the works of the robot to discover if I would like to pursue a more important role on the robotics team. The opportunities I have had to learn were mainly from my older peers, fantastic mentors, who teach and help me grow, as well as give me responsibilities and opportunities to make my experiences in robotics more fulfilling. The initiatives of HNMCS Robotics gave me a good perspective of the team and were inspiring. The conference especially was an amazing way to notice the connection, hard work, and care the members put into the team and the robot.
Saturday, November 25, 2023, marked an extraordinary day of endless creativity for over 100 young minds as they attended the FIRST Lego League Challenge Mississauga Qualifying Tournament. Sponsored by FIRST Robotics Canada, and hosted by HNMCS Robotics, FRC Team 7659, this event brought together amazing engineers, programmers, and problem solvers for a day of fun activities and nail-biting competition.
The event consisted of 48 robot competition rounds, where teams’ robots ran autonomous programs within a 2.5-minute timeframe to complete as many missions as possible. In addition to teams gathering points in their official robot rounds, they were also judged on their robot design that demonstrated iterative engineering skills; their core values of teamwork, inclusion, discovery, impact innovation and fun; and their innovation project where they presented a solution to an existing problem in the world.
A highlight of the event was the attendance of some esteemed guests. Acting Mayor Chris Fonseca, a passionate advocate for STEAM education, encouraged young minds and emphasised the importance of technology and creativity in the future.
We also welcomed Arti Javeri, Vice President of FIRST Robotics Canada, Sarah Sils, a Senior Mentor from FIRST Robotics Canada, and Annika Pint, FIRST Lego League Challenge Program Manager of FIRST Robotics Canada.
HNMCS Robotics has grown from 2 girls to a powerhouse team of over 40 girls in the senior school. Founding member Kasthuri Thambipillai ‘17 together with Fayble Shawera ‘21 and Julia Arturi ‘22 were judges and leads at the event. Iris, a grade 9 rookie student said, “Shadowing Fayble was a transformative experience that was incredibly inspiring. Fayble is a strong character and is a perfect example of the person I would like to be in the future.”
The HNMCS Robostars, FLL 2824, whom we mentor, had an excellent start to their season. The team was rewarded for this creative project idea by winning the Innovation Award and qualified to compete at the FIRST Lego League Provincial Championships in January!
In the spirit of FIRST Robotics’ mission to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, the FIRST Lego League Tournament 2023 stands as a shining example of the incredible potential that lies within the minds of our youth. As these young participants continue to explore, create, and innovate, the future of STEAM looks brighter than ever, and we can’t wait to see them all again next year!
This year the event was live streamed on our YouTube channel thereby providing the opportunity to reach a global audience. For those who missed the live action, you can catch the excitement by visiting the live stream links:
November 5, 2023, was an thrilling day for HNMCS Robotics! HNMCS Robotics were at the STEMley Cup Overtime Sunday. We got to see the awesome robots many teams made for the final time before the end of the season. Our Operator: Amy, Driver: Sam, Technician: Jona and Megan, Human Player: Poppy and Simona, and Scouting Lead: Maya all did an amazing job! The Grade 9 Rookies of our team, participating for the first time, were impressive as well! HNMCS Robotics was on the first Alliance for the playoffs. After a series of intense and competitive rounds, HNMCS Robotics emerged as the Champions! We extend our gratitude to Dr. Kozma, our generous sponsors, and dedicated parents for their support. Special thanks also go out to our skilled alliance partners, team 4907, ThunderStamps, and team 7558, ALT-F4! It was a great way to end the season! The preparation for the 2024 season begins as we retire “Lightning Queen”! ⚡️
HNMCS Robotics held their 7th annual Engineering Career Night on 26 October 2023 with Orbit Robotics! Six engineers from a variety of disciplines from mining to surgical robotics spoke about their journey from high school to the engineering profession. Some common themes were, “Know your strengths – use them to create your ‘brand’”, “Keep learning – never turn down a challenge”, “You can turn your passions into your work” and “Stay curious – build a strong network.”
Thanks to HNMCS parents Yves Bélanger, Michael Stefan and Victor Akan for inspiring the over 90 attendees by sharing your passion for engineering and your lifelong commitment to learning.
This summer, HNMCS Robotics had 2 weeks of FIRST Robotics Day Camp. To prepare for the summer camp, members of HNMCS Robotics completed training with FIRST trying out the camp activities and planning for the camp as counsellors!
In the 2 weeks of camp, We had over 40 registered campers! Whether the campers knew how to code or not, all campers enjoyed the activities that HNMCS Robotics planned such as the Cup Challenge where the campers had to code their robots to move as many cups out of the boundary and the Maze Challenge where the campers had to code their robots to complete the maze.
At the end of each week, the campers had to complete the SUPERPOWERED Challenge, the theme of FLL 2022-2023! This gave a chance for all campers to experience an FLL competition. All of the campers left with awards, FIRST core values, and knowledge of coding!
In 4 years HNMCS Robotics, FRC Team 7659, went from an obscure unknown team to becoming a powerhouse all-girls’ force to which teams across Canada look to model themselves by.
7659 continued to run outreach events that bring STEAM to youth both at HNMCS and beyond with the popular DropIN Coding sessions, STEM Day, STEAM Night, Engineering Career Night, Business Brunch, and Alumnae Chats. New this year, the team established the all-girls’ EmpowHER Robotics Tournament and expanded learning with the indigenous handshake, ConnectED, with the Mangilaluk School in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories.
HNMCS is becoming the hub of robotics in Mississauga. We ran our first FLL Qualifier in December, where our FLL Team 2824 won the Breakthrough Award. We also collaborated with FIRST Canada to run free Summer Lego Camps!
In competitions, 7659 won the Ontario District Georgian Event, the prestigious Engineering Inspiration (2 years in a row) and the lifetime Woodie Flowers Mentor Award for Dr. Kozma. With over 90% of graduated 7659 members continuing to pursue STEM in university, 7659 Captain, Sabrina Fang, aptly summed up Dr. Kozma’s incredible contributions to advancing youth in STEM, “Dr. K has ignited a spark of passion within us, leading us to discover our unique strengths. Through her guidance, we soar higher and shine brighter, becoming the best versions of ourselves.” Keep on soaring and shining 7659 graduates – we will miss you.
Thursday May 18, 2023 hosted the 4th annual HNMCS Alumnae Chats. This event consisted of past HNMCS robotics team members to share their experiences and how robotics influenced their future. Our speakers included Julia, Melina, Pilar, Dream, and Rachel. By gaining knowledge on their current life after high school, students of HNMCS as well as other attendees were able to ask questions and have more insight on post high school graduation life. We look forward to seeing more HNMCS robotics graduates next year and hearing their personal experiences.
On Monday 15 May and Tuesday 16 May 2023, HNMCS Robotics connected with the grade 7 class of Mangilaluk School, a school located in Tuktoyaktuk of the Northwest Territories. Together, HNMCS Robotics and the grade 7 class exchanged knowledge on coding basics and the environment in Tuktoyaktuk.
On Monday, Mr. Brown’s grade 7 class shared their life in an Indigenous community as well as the effects of climate change for HNMCS Robotics and the grade 7 and 10 classes of HNMCS. The grade 7 and 10 classes learned about the activities Mr. Brown’s class does and the different lifestyles, foods, and activities between Ontario and the Northwest Territories. The grade 7 and 10 classes, here in Ontario, gained knowledge of the environment and life in Tuktoyaktuk.
On Tuesday, HNMCS Robotics shared a tutorial on coding basics. Mr. Brown’s grade 7 class learned what coding is, the importance of coding, and how to use Scratch, a programming language and website. The class learned how to use the move block, sound block, and event block. The class also got to create their own Scratch program. The grade 7 class in Tuktoyaktuk commented that they enjoyed coding on Scratch!
On Saturday 6 May 2023, HNMCS Robotics hosted the first-ever EmpowHER event led by girls for girls! Over 20 girls from all around Ontario joined us. The free event included FLL robot matches, icebreaker games, EDI (equity, diversity, inclusion) activities, and more! To begin, the girls as a team built teamwork through completing the JEDI Tower Challenge and the JEDI Race. In these challenges, every member of the team contributed, encouraged, and worked together to complete the challenges.
In these teams, the girls had the opportunity to code on Lego Spike whether they had coding experience or not. They took time to get comfortable with coding by going over movements, motors, sensors, light/sound, and line following. The girls had the chance to communicate with skilled coders and our judges: Ms. Mathews, Mr. Jaggernauth, Ms. Ko, and Ms. Susel. After learning about coding, they coded the robots for an FLL tournament as a team. The goal for the FLL tournament was to line-follow using the colour sensors. In the end, the teams presented their code for the robot to each other. Each team designed and created a unique robot. The girls also had the chance to drive the FRC robot. The girls had fun learning about equity, diversity, and inclusion from each other through the event!
HNMCS Robotics had an outstanding performance at the Provincial Competition over the Easter weekend at First Ontario Centre, Hamilton. During this three-day event, the team showcased how they strive to change the perspective of STEM to the executives of the FIRST Robotics Program, and they also demonstrated excellent teamwork as the drive team swerved through obstacles and scored game pieces with our expertly engineered robot.
Moreover, they are thrilled to announce that their lead mentor, Dr. Kozma, won the prestigious Woodie Flower Award for her outstanding commitment to inspiring and empowering youth. The award celebrates the effective communication in the art and science of engineering and design, making this a remarkable life-time achievement, as the team is proud to have such an exceptional mentor leading this inspiring team.
This has been a fantastic season for HNMCS Robotics. They are thrilled to share that they have won four awards, two blue banners, and achieved first in the Ontario District Georgian College Event.
HNMCS Robotics is a proud girl-powered team, and they regularly host various outreach initiatives that strive to promote and connect youth to individuals in STEAM. The team’s efforts has earned them many amazing awards, such as the Engineering Inspiration Award; an award that celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school or organization and community. As well as the Judge’s Award; an award where judges recognize a team’s unique efforts, performance, or dynamics merit, during the competition. The team has worked incredibly hard to achieve this success, and they could not be more proud of the dedication, passion, and hard work of all the members on the team.
As the robotics season draws to a close, HNMCS Robotics is not slowing down. Instead, they are actively working on initiatives that aim to CONNECT with communities, CREATE new opportunities, and CHANGE the perspective of STEM.
On May 6th, HNMCS Robotics will be hosting an all-girls STEM event, EmpowHER, that seeks to promote JEDI values (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) and inspire girls to pursue STEM fields by creating a supportive environment. This event highlights the team’s commitment to increasing diversity and inclusivity in STEM fields by encouraging more girls to participate. HNMCS Robotics recognizes the importance of empowering underrepresented groups in STEM and is taking active steps to create a more equitable and inclusive future for all.
HNMCS Robotics is continuing their mission of creating meaningful connections with communities through their upcoming Indigenous Connection Festival on May 15th and 16th. This event will focus on connecting with Mangilaluk School, Tuktoyaktuk in the Northwest Territories and teaching the grade 7 class coding basics using Scratch. This event not only provides an opportunity for the team to share their knowledge and skills with others, but it also demonstrates their commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) values by actively engaging and collaborating with underrepresented groups in STEM. In addition to sharing their expertise, HNMCS Robotics has made this event a “handshake” event, where the students from Tuktoyaktuk will teach them environmental awareness in return, promoting a mutual exchange of knowledge and ideas. Through initiatives like the Indigenous Connection Festival, HNMCS Robotics is demonstrating their dedication to creating a more inclusive and equitable world.
HNMCS Robotics Team 7659 