Welcome back to the Byte of... newsletter! Since the last edition, FIRST Global teams have made headlines in the news, designed devices to make daily tasks easier, shared their expertise with the community, performed tongue twisters, and expressed messages of encouragement for their fellow participants. There may be only one week left in the season and a few new challenges remaining, but we have a special surprise that we'll be sharing with you soon!
Join Us for the next STEM Talk and Interview
Join us for our sixth STEM Talk and Interview with musician, tech entrepreneur, and philanthropist will.i.am! We'll be learning more about his perspectives on STEAM education, the work he’s doing, and his insights on questions submitted by the FIRST Global community. A recording will be available for viewing after the talk.
⌚️ Saturday, 26 September at 1:00 PM UTC
➡️ Premiering on YouTube and Facebook
In the News 📰
Spreading awareness is an important part of furthering support. For the eighteenth social media challenge, we asked teams to make headlines by sharing the message of STEM and highlighting their work inspired by FIRST Global. Teams were featured in over 40 articles and segments — more than we could ever include in this newsletter — so head over to our website to view more.
Better by Design 🤖
For the third technical challenge, we asked teams to use their computer-aided design (CAD) skills to design and model a realistic robotic mechanism to automate an everyday task. Click on the photos below to learn more about each team's design.
Team Iraq 🇮🇶
Team Iraq designed an industrial robotic arm with four degrees of freedom.
Team Switzerland 🇨🇭 Team Switzerland designed a device to automate the cleaning of glasses.
Team Yemen 🇾🇪
Team Yemen designed an automatic pet food dispenser.
Team Paraguay 🇵🇾 Team Paraguay designed a device that cleans shoes.
Team Tunisia 🇹🇳 Team Tunisia designed a grass-cutting robot.
Team Nigeria 🇳🇬
Team Nigeria designed a robot to open doors.
School's in Session 👨🏿🏫
As we learn, we should also look to share that knowledge with others so they can benefit, too. For the twentieth social media challenge, we asked teams to share a lesson or some tips about something they’ve learned throughout their STEM experience.
Team Mongolia 🇲🇳 Learn how to use a multimeter, a key tool in robotics, with Team Mongolia.
Team Poland 🇵🇱 Learn one tip for better communication with Team Poland.
Team South Africa 🇿🇦 Learn how to use SOLIDWORKS CAD software with Team South Africa.
Team Kosovo 🇽🇰 Learn some health and education tips with Team Kosovo.
Team Guyana 🇬🇾 Learn the robot development process with Team Guyana.
Mother Tongue 😜
With such a diverse group of participants, the FIRST Global community speaks many different languages. For the twenty-first social media challenge, we gave teams a fun yet tricky activity — share tongue twisters and idioms from their country! Can you say any of them?
Team Sudan 🇸🇩
Team Mexico 🇲🇽
Team Puerto Rico 🇵🇷
Team Albania 🇦🇱
Team Qatar 🇶🇦
Team Madagascar 🇲🇬
We Believe in You 🙏
A kind word can often make a big difference. For the twenty-second social media challenge, we asked teams to create and share an encouragement card with their FIRST Global friends to celebrate the Day of Encouragement on 12 September. Feel free to share your own words of encouragement with those who make your life brighter!
Team Bangladesh 🇧🇩
Team Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦
Team Suriname 🇸🇷
Team Morocco 🇲🇦
Team Oman 🇴🇲
Team Malaysia 🇲🇾
Team Chad 🇹🇩, Team Comoros 🇰🇲, Team Guyana 🇬🇾,
Team Lesotho 🇱🇸, and Team Zimbabwe 🇿🇼
These teams collaborated on a "traveling card" that spread encouragement between them!
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