Zain, SACGC proud of KU team’s victory at VEX Robotics World Championship in USA

KUWAIT: Zain and Sabah Al Ahmad Center for Giftedness and Creativity (SACGC) – a center of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), have expressed their pride in the victory achieved by the team from the Computer Science Department, College of Sciences Science, Kuwait University, who took home the Build Award at the 2024 VEX Robotics World Championship held recently in the United States.

The champions were welcomed at Kuwait International Airport by Acting Dean of the College of Science and Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at Kuwait University, Dr. Mohammed Hussain bin Sabt, Zain Kuwait Chief Corporate Affairs and Relations Officer Waleed Al Khashti and Sabah Al Ahmad Center for Giftedness. and Creativity General Manager Neda Al Dehani.

The team from Kuwait University – Abdullah Al Jaber, Abdulwahab Al Obaid, Abdulrahman Al Dughaim and Osama Hassan, under the supervision of Dr. Noura Al Jeri – is the first university-level team from the Middle East to claim distinction at the 2024 VEX Robotics World Championship (out of 15 awards). The team was among 120 university-level teams from around the world participating in the competition.

The team won the Build Award after meticulously designing a robot with great attention to detail so that it was competently able to compete in the World Championship. Criteria for this award included durability, strength, reliability and safety. In addition, team members had to demonstrate teamwork, effective communication, professionalism and a thorough understanding of the construction process. The team’s participation in the World Championship came after they qualified for the Kuwait National Robotics Competition (KNRC) held early this year. It was organized by the Computer Science Department, College of Science, Kuwait University in collaboration with Zain and Sabah Al Ahmad Center for Giftedness and Creativity, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

Zain, SACGC and Kuwait University are proud of all six KNRC qualified teams that represented Kuwait at the World Championship, including middle school, high school and university levels. Reaching this international arena is a testament to the talent and creativity of Kuwaiti youth, and confirms the fact that they are more than capable of competing with their peers from around the world. This international experience has also helped increase students’ passion for technology, and will encourage them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), skills that are being prioritized in today’s job market.

Furthermore, this move was a direct result of the fruitful partnership between the local public and private sectors to empower the next generation of innovators in Kuwait. The Kuwait National Robotics Competition (KNRC) consisted of 32 teams, with 170 students from 11 middle schools, 13 high schools and 6 universities in private and public academic institutions. More than 40 volunteers helped organize the competition, along with a panel of 8 judges from Kuwait University, Kuwait Technical College (KTECH) and private sector experts.

This partnership fell under the umbrella of Innovation Nation, the initiative under which all of Zain’s innovation and entrepreneurship programs fall, with a focus on STEM fields. The initiative focuses mainly on young people and entrepreneurs and aims to promote a digitally capable generation. This announcement adds to the long list of programs and initiatives presented and supported by Zain and SACGC under their strategic partnership. The collaboration focuses on a number of strategic pillars and sustainable objectives, such as supporting technological innovation, empowering entrepreneurs and startups, stimulating creativity, investing in the digital skills of young people, and more.