ACAMIS ROBOTICS
After more than a year of conversations, in January 2018, ACAMIS took initial steps to create new ACAMIS Academic and Cultural Enrichment (ACE) activities in Robotics in addition to Math and Chess competitions. Tapping into the considerable expertise of two ACAMIS members, Barbara Boyer and Tim Boyer from Shanghai American School Pudong Campus, significant progress was made and in May a Robotics Planning Committee was formed to make all arrangements as soon as possible for the immediate launching of ACAMIS Robotics.
ACAMIS Robotics Planning Committee was created in 2018 to at the request of several ACAMIS member schools in the hope of adding robotics as an activity where it did not previously exist. Already present among a core group of member schools in Shanghai and two other cities, it became evident that an overview organization like ACAMIS would have the best chance for it to take on new life, expand with our organization, provide activities among similar schools, and be sustainable over time. To accomplish this, a team of robotics experts was needed to form the first planning committee. For classification purposes, as an ACAMIS Activity, robotics will be listing under Academic and Cultural Enrichment (ACE). To provide annual training and information, the Robotics Planning Committee will work closely with the Technology Planning Committee to create a Strand for robotics at the annual Technology Conference.
If your school is not yet involved and you would like to know more information about how to get involved in ACAMIS Robotics, please contact committee member, Elizabeth Cooper at ecooper@ncpachina.org for further information.
- Elizabeth Cooper - Nansha College Preparatory Academy
- Danny Yu - Beijing World Youth Academy
- Lisa Hawkins - Concordia International School Shanghai
- Amy Hossack - Shanghai American School - Pudong Campus
- Phil Whitaker - Dulwich College Shanghai
- Todd Voykin - The International School of Macao
Elizabeth Cooper - Nansha College Preparatory Academy
Elizabeth Cooper is a Middle School STEM Teacher at NCPA in Nansha (part of Guangzhou, China). She has been teaching there for three years, and in that time has always been searching for new ways to use technology to enhance the learning experience for students in an authentic way. FIRST Lego League Robots has been a huge part of that. After participating as a child herself, it was a dream to become a coach in the United States and now in China. She is very excited to be a part of the Robotics Committee to help share this program with others in China.
Danny Yu - Beijing World Youth Academy
Lisa Hawkins - Concordia International School Shanghai
Amy Hossack - Shanghai American School - Pudong Campus
Phil Whitaker - Dulwich College Shanghai
Todd Voykin - The International School of Macao
Todd Vokyin is from Kelowna, Canada and has been teaching Robotics and Electronics since 2005. He is a High School Robotics and Design teacher at The International School of Macao. Since 2011 he has enjoyed teaching and engaging with students inside the classroom and coaching students in after school Robotics clubs. It's amazing to watch the students passion and excitement for Robotics grow as their knowledge and understanding of the subject expands. He is very excited to be a member of the ACAMIS Robotics Committee and look forward to working with new coaches and interested students to give them the best possible experience with Robotics.
In September, the committee arranged for training sessions for schools-students and coaches in Shanghai (EASTERN), Guangzhou (SOUTHERN) and Beijing (NORTHERN) regions. In October, a special strand of workshops for Robotics was successfully included in the ACAMIS Technology Conference with every session at maximum capacity. The ground work for student activities and collaborative support amongst the coaches were put in place. Already this year ACAMIS Robotics competitions have taken place in the Southern and Eastern Robotics Regions involving about 16 schools and another regional is planned for January 2019 in the Northern region in Beijing. The qualifying championship tournament will be held in Shanghai ICS in February.
Robotics Workshops at 2018 ACAMIS Technology Conference at Western Academy of Beijing
ACAMIS Robotics Competitions and Tournaments
2018-19
- Southern China ACAMIS Robotics Competition - AISG
- Northern Regional Qualifier - BWYA
- Championship Robotics Tournament - SCIS
Southern China ACAMIS Robotics Competition - AISG
On December 1st, AISG hosted a wonderful robotics tournament for the Southern Region in Guangzhou. 23 teams participated from 8 different schools. In part as a result of the ACAMIS Technology Conference, many new schools joined us at this competition, while others came to observe in hopes of starting a team next year. Students from Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Donguan, and Macau came to celebrate all the hard work they had put in. Most teams experienced some failure as their robot did not do as well as when they had practiced at home, but they persevered and improved their scores throughout the day. From all of the judges at the competition, we were blown away by the innovation of the robots, attitudes of the students, and creativity in their research projects. We look forward to continuing to grow the Southern China region with more schools, including Hong Kong, next year!
