Qatari teams participating in last year’s National Robot Olympiad.

Thousands of Qatar’s brightest and best science students from elementary, middle and senior schools are making final preparations ahead of competing in the 2015 Qatar National Robot Olympiad (NRO), taking place on October 30 and 31.
More than 1,000 students from over 400 teams representing 250 schools are registered to take part in the event, which is set to be the biggest yet in Qatar, according to a statement.
The competition represents the culmination of the year-long schools robotics programme, Go Robot, part of Maersk Oil Qatar’s commitment to Qatar to build science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) skills for generations to come.
The NRO will take place over two days at Doha’s Al Shaqab equestrian facility. Students will be tasked with building and programming Lego Mindstorms robots within strict time limits to complete a set of challenges under the theme of “Robot Explorers”.
With the support and guidance of teachers, educators and mentors, participating students have spent the past year training to design and programme the best and fastest robots they can. The NRO will test to the limits their problem-solving, engineering and programming skills as well as their teamwork and initiative.
A total of 34 winning teams from Qatar participating in the National Robot Olympiad will be given the chance to represent the country at the 12th World Robot Olympiad (WRO), which will be hosted in Qatar for the first time from November 6 to 8 under the patronage of HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani.
Organised by College of the North Atlantic - Qatar (CNA-Q) and sponsored by Maersk Oil Qatar with the endorsement of the Supreme Education Council (SEC) and Qatar Petroleum, the Go Robot programme supports student engagement and skills in Stem subjects, teacher training and development and promotes the application of technology to enhance the learning environment for students.
“The NRO has grown considerably since the Go Robot programme started in 2012. Its success reflects the country’s progress in supporting and developing vital Stem skills with participation growing 600% in the past four years,” the statement adds.
Sheikh Faisal bin Fahad al-Thani, deputy managing director of Maersk Oil Qatar, said: “Go Robot supports teachers’ professional development and enhances skills in Stem subjects, and I am excited to see all this learning and hard work come to life at the National Robot Olympiad.”
Fawziya al-Khater, director of the Education Institute, SEC, said: “The growth and success of both the NRO and WRO is a clear indication of Qatar’s progress in backing and supporting the development of vitally important science and engineering subjects and skills.”
Dr Ken MacLeod, president of CNA-Q, added: “Undoubtedly, this year’s NRO will be the biggest and best to date. I look forward to seeing our Qatari students compete at the World Robotic Olympiad next week - and show the world the calibre of talent that we have here in Qatar.”