The final event of the EDUROVs project: “EduROV: underwater robotics for secondary school” was held at the land-based headquarters of the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) in Taliarte, bringing together almost 200 secondary school students from various schools in the Canary Islands.
The participating schools were the following: IES Bañaderos Cipriano Acosta, IES José Arencibia Gil, IES Los Tarahales, IES Poeta Tomás Morales Castellano, IES Santa Brígida, IES Villa de Firgas, IES La Oliva, IES Canarias Cabrera Pinto, IES El Galeón, IES El Sobradillo, IES El Tanque, IES Granadilla de Abona, IES San Benito de la Laguna and IES El Paso. These young students had the opportunity to show and test the prototypes they had developed throughout the course in the swimming pools set up for the occasion.
In addition to testing the prototypes, the participants enjoyed a series of workshops designed to enrich their experience, given by the CEPs of Gran Canaria Sur, Telde and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. These workshops provided students with a broader vision of the STEAM areas (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics), promoting innovation, creativity, design and problem solving from a multidisciplinary approach. They also had the opportunity to visit PLOCAN’s underwater robotics laboratory and learn about the different technologies used for ocean observation.
The EDUROVs project aims to promote scientific vocations among students in Compulsory Secondary Education in public schools in the Canary Islands, particularly among female students. With the support of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, the STEAM area of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of the Government of the Canary Islands and PLOCAN, the aim is to awaken interest in STEAM disciplines and motivate students through innovative projects and the search for solutions.
Since its beginning, the EDUROVs project has had a significant impact on education in the Canary Islands. Throughout its ten previous editions, approximately 9,500 students and 272 secondary schools from all over the Canary Islands have participated. These students have developed more than 800 prototypes of teleoperated aquatic vehicles (ROVs), which shows the commitment and dedication of the educational community in the promotion of science and technology. In this eleventh edition, 22 schools and approximately 650 students joined the project, bringing to life a total of 44 new prototypes. These achievements are testimony to the continued success of the EDUROVs project and its impact on the training of future generations of scientists and technology professionals in the Canary Islands.
