2nd RACECAR Challenge
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teams
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educators
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RACECAR
Challenge
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Minute(s)
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41 teams
140 children
22 teachers
18 schools
What is it?
The 2nd Panhellenic Middle School Robotic Competition, Racecar Challenge, hosted by Pierce – The American College of Greece, and organized in collaboration with the non-profit organization Mathisi Initiative is based on the miniRacecar program, designed and offered by the Beaver Works Summer Institute (BWSI) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
In Racecar Challenge, the autonomous racecars which teams of students will have programmed and assembled in the miniRacecar course will compete through autonomously racing on virtual racetracks with specific parameters.
The team that will be distinguished in the Greek competition, along with its accompanying teacher, will have the opportunity to represent Greece in the international competition that will be held at BWSI in the USA in the summer 2023. The selected team that will participate in the international competition will have the additional opportunity to attend the program of the last week of BWSI’s summer camp on its premises before the final competition. BWSI’s on-campus invitation is subject to pandemic-related restrictions, at BWSI’s discretion.
MiniRacecar and the 2nd Racecar Challenge are open to any student in Greece enrolled in a Gymnasio class or in 1st Lykeio in September 2022, and who is part of a team of 2 to 4 members working under the guidance of a teacher of their school or an educator from a non-profit educational organization.
Video courtesy of the Beaver Works Summer Institute
Who is it for?
Teachers/Educators
For students to participate, they need to be supported and registered by a teacher at their school or an educator in a non-profit organization. The teachers are responsible for ensuring that their students form teams, for registering them, for supporting them through the educational program miniRacecar, and for supporting them for the Racecar Competition. They will receive a certificate of teaching completion from the BWSI at MIT.
Teacher or Educator Eligibility Criteria
miniRacecar and 2nd Racecar Challenge is open to:
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- any teacher currently teaching in school in Greece, or educator working for a strictly non-profit organization (which can include a volunteering parent),
- with sufficient knowledge in computer science to support his/her team(s),
- who is not either listed on the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Sanctions list (https://sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov/) or is a citizen from U.S. embargoed or sanctioned countries (See:https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/sanctions-programs-and-country-information). Note that such lists may change from time to time.
Students
Students can participate in teams of 2 to 4 members, and must be registered by a teacher at their school or an educator from a non-profit educational organization. Upon completion of the miniRacecar course, they will receive a certificate of completion from the BWSI at MIT. Completion of miniRacecar is required to take part in Racecar Challenge.
Student Eligibility Criteria for MiniRacar and 2nd Racecar Challenge
BWSI’s miniRacecar is open to students:
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- Enrolled in Greece in a Gymnasio class or in 1st Lykeio in September 2022,
- With little knowledge of programming (Python) or robotics, although we strongly advise students, in particular students of 1st Gymnasio and 2nd G Gymnasio, to already have good familiarity with Python,
- Forming teams of 2 to 4 members,
- Working under the guidance of a teacher at their school or an educator from a non-profit educational institution,
- who are NOT either listed on the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Sanctions list (https://sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov/) or who are NOT citizens from U.S. embargoed or sanctioned countries (See: https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/sanctions-programs-and-country-information). Note that such lists may change from time to time.
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2nd Racecar Challenge is open to students:
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- Having met the requirements to attend miniRacecar,
- Having completed registration by October 29, 2022 at 19:00,
- Having completed at least the first 3 Labs of miniRacecar by April 26, 2023.
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Why participate?
I will build a STEM project, and I will learn programming in Python, Robotics and even Computer Vision.
I will attend a high-quality course, designed and offered by the BWSI at MIT!
I can attend miniRacecar and participate in RACECAR Challenge for FREE!
When I complete miniRacecar, I will receive a certificate from BWSI!
I can work online with my teammates and without the physical car, thanks to the course simulator!
The Racecar Challenge’s winning team will participate in BWSI’s camp and final race.
How to participate?
1. Registration in the miniRACECAR online course and the 2nd Racecar Challenge competition
Registration for miniRacecar and the 2nd Panhellenic Racecar Challenge will open on September 16, 2022 at https://www.pierce.gr/en/pierce-mathisi-panhellenic-racecar-challenge/registrations/. We hope to see you then !
2. Attending miniRacecar
Completing miniRacecar should require approximately 70-80 hours, but this depends on many factors, such as the student’s prior knowledge and experience, his/her ability to quickly finish the system etc. The course is comprised of 5 labs at the end of which the student is asked to complete a coding activity to test his/her newly acquired knowledge. MiniRacecar is fully supported for distance learning and includes the simulator RacecarSim which simulates the behavior of the physical vehicle based on the student’s programming.
3. Conditions for participation in miniRacecar and the 2nd RACECAR Challenge
Students enrolled in a Gymnasio class or in 1st Lykeio in September 2022, in teams of 2-4 members, and supported by a teacher at their school or an educator from a non-profit organization, are eligible to register to miniRacecar and the 2nd Racecar Challenge. Participation in the 2nd Racecar Challenge requires the completion of at least the first 3 labs of miniRACECAR.
4. Useful links
For the educational program, miniRacecar, material related to system set-up here, python learning material here and training material for all the workshops can be found on youtube. For additional support regarding the training program and the competition, please refer to the Support page.
The day of competition
Groups