Seven hopeful young ladies are representing South Africa in Geneva at the FIRST Global Robotics World Championships; they are part of the first-ever all-girl SpringBots team.
South Africa (04 October 2022) – Team SpringBots South Africa is taking robotics to the future youth! The robotics team was established in 2018 and now represents SA on the international stage of all things STEM.
The team’s core mission is to provide equal access to education, skills and knowledge centred around STEM. STEM is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The SpringBots is a non-profit, founded by Mikhaeel Reddy in 2018 as a way to boost youth participation in global STEM challenges.
The team has recently created a new, all-female team made up of seven hopeful young ladies. They have come from high schools in the Centurion area of Gauteng. This year these young STEM enthusiasts will represent South Africa in the FIRST Global Challenge, taking place in Geneva, Switzerland from the 13th to the 16th of October.
Kayla Naicker has been a part of the team since 2020 and has worked through previous robotics competitions such as FGC, FRC as well as FGC RoboCo. Kayla would like to become a Mechanical Engineer.
“I believe that STEM education makes people more creative and innovative, and this is the type of mindset that we need to solve the world’s problems such as global warming, famine and pollution,” said Kayla.
Francina Mphaka would like to become a Medical Doctor and wants to use STEM and robotics to find new ways to protect the environment.
Matome Shwatja would like to become an Architect and plans on using STEM to educate people about how to improve climate change and global warming.
Dineo Sepaela is very interested in the field of Mining Engineering and believes that not all tasks should be done by humans.
Precy Mohlala believes that taking care of your mental health is important and therefore would like to become a Psychologist. She feels that robotics can make everyday life better for all.
Bongiwe Ndhlovu aspires to become a Medical Doctor and cannot wait to see how STEM benefits the generations to come.
Tania Matjatji Matsemela would like to become a Data Scientist and would like to use these skills to create programs that better-impoverished communities.
FIRST Global Robotics World Championships
The FIRST Global Robotics World Championships is an annual Robotics competition that invites teams from around the world to compete on an international stage, whilst raising awareness about global problems and technological developments. Over 160 countries gather to build robots, form international relationships and try to solve global problems by using skills learnt from STEM education.
We shared the SpringBots story last year, as they eagerly started working towards their challenge tasks. Now the next team is ready to make their mark.
This year’s theme challenges FIRST Global teams to reimagine the future of Earth’s climate. This is our home; let’s take care of it together.
Continually rising levels of heat-trapping CO2 in the atmosphere are contributing to widespread global warming and climate change. Now is the time to innovate solutions that nurture a healthier planet for us all. Carbon capture is the process of capturing existing carbon dioxide and preventing it from entering the atmosphere.
There are two possible strategies they are working on for this year’s challenge.
There are two types of carbon removal strategies:
- Augmenting natural processes in land, oceans, and rocks
- Creating industrial solutions using chemicals and technology
The team set off for their challenge next week, and all the updates about their progress will be shared on Facebook. You can also follow them via Twitter and Instagram.
Good luck young ladies, you will be making South Africa proud!
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