Success for Local Schools at VEX Robotics NorthWest Regional Finals
The AIM Centre, in partnership with AbbVie and Atlantic Technological University (ATU) Sligo, successfully hosted the inaugural VEX Robotics North West Regional Finals last Friday, 31st January 2025. The competition, held at ATU Sligo, saw teams from communities across Sligo, Leitrim, North Mayo, and South Donegal showcase their creativity, engineering skills, and problem-solving abilities in a thrilling robotics contest.
Holy Family N.S., Ballyshannon and Breaffy N.S., Castlebar - Winners of Teams Challenge Award
Following an exciting day of intense competition and teamwork, two of teams have successfully qualified for the VEX Robotics National Finals: Holy Family N.S. of Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal and Breaffy N.S. of Castlebar, Co. Mayo. The finals are set to take place in MTU Cork on February 27th. The winning teams will compete for a chance to advance to the prestigious VEX Global Finals in Texas, representing Ireland on the international stage.
VEX Robotics Sooey - Winners of Judges’ Award
Two local groups were also recognised for their outstanding achievements: VEX Robotics Sooey Community was awarded the prestigious Judges' Award following an impressive team interview with the official panel. This accolade highlights their dedication, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork throughout the competition.
Breaffy N.S., Castlebar - Winners of Skills Challenger Award
Meanwhile, Breaffy N.S., Castlebar, demonstrated exceptional coding and driving skills, earning them the coveted Skills Challenger Award. Their technical expertise and performance set them apart in a highly competitive field.
Zainab Saleem, Advanced Manufacturing Systems Engineer at AIM Centre, expressed her pride in the students’ achievements and the success of the programme’s first competitive season: “The enthusiasm, dedication, and problem-solving abilities displayed by these students is amazing to watch. Seeing them engage with STEM in such a hands-on way has reinforced the importance of programmes like VEX Robotics in developing the next generation of engineers and innovators.”
Finola Howe, Head of Enterprise and External Engagement at ATU highlighted the importance of their sponsorship "ATU is proud to sponsor the VEX Robotics event, seeing the students engage so enthusiastically is fantastic. By taking part, they dive into the world of STEM, the building blocks of so many incredible things. They learn skills of critical thinking, problem solving and working as a team which are skills that are critical in everyday life as well as being what scientists, engineers and innovators use every day to make the world a better place"
With the success of this year’s initiative, the AIM Centre is already planning the roll-out of the next VEX Robotics Programme for the 2025-2026 season. Schools and community centres interested in taking part in this exciting STEM initiative are encouraged to reach out to AIM Centre for more information on how to get involved.
St. Attracta’s N.S., Charlestown
AIM Centre would like to extend a huge thank you to AbbVie and ATU Sligo for their invaluable sponsorship and support in this inaugural year of the programme. Their commitment to promoting STEM education has been instrumental in bringing this initiative to life and inspiring young minds to explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
We look forward to the Vex Robotics National Finals taking place in MTU, Cork on 27th February 2025!