Armenia Places Third out of 157 Teams at FIRST Global Youth Robotics Competition

Armenia’s TUMO Team Takes Bronze Medal

Special for the Armenian Weekly 

“We are few, but they call us Armenians.”  These words by Paruyr Sevak rang true at the FIRST Global youth robotics competition held at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., where Armenia’s TUMO Center for Creative Technologies team took home the bronze medal.

Armenia’s TUMO Center for Creative Technologies team took home the bronze medal (Photo: ANCA)

FIRST, an acronym meaning For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, was established in 1989 and has organized local robotics competitions for elementary and high school students for many years.  However, this year marked the first time they held a global competition, with teams representing 150 countries, six continents, and Team Hope, representing refugees.

“I am so proud of them!” exclaimed Hayk Voskanyan, the team’s mentor and TUMO Center robotics workshop leader, as he watched FIRST founder Dean Kamen bestow the medals on his protégés.  The TUMO Center in Yerevan was the home of Team Armenia where they designed, built, and tested their remote-controlled robot in preparation for the competition.

The initiative brought attention to the global challenge of providing clean drinking water.  Robots needed to collect plastic balls from the center of the field, sort the blue ones (representing clean water) from the orange ones (representing contaminants), and deposit them according to color.

Team Armenia poses with the tricolor and their medals (Photo: ANCA)

Although more students were involved during the preparation stage in Yerevan, seven 15-18-year-olds were selected to travel to Washington for the competition, including Levon Balagyozyan (Team Captain), Lilit Tarumyan (Spokesperson), Maria Ter Minasyan (Spokesperson), Ashot Tarumyan, Tigran Sahakyan, Davit Hovhanisyan, and Aram Madantsyan.  They shared the champions’ podium with Team Europe and Team Poland who won gold and silver respectively.

The event attracted national headlines when President Trump made an exception to the travel ban to ensure that Afghanistan’s all-female team would be admitted to the U.S. and able to participate.  It started with an Olympic-worthy opening ceremony on July 16, as teams entered with their national flags, cheered on by the many ambassadors and even one head of state, Canada’s Governor General-designate Julie Payette, who were in attendance.  The closing ceremony two days later was equally impressive and included a keynote speech delivered by World Bank President Jim Yong Kim.

Team Armenia with ANCA Interns, who cheered them on along the way (Photo: ANCA)

The TUMO students had a local fan club cheering them on, consisting of the staff and interns at the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) D.C. office.  Before the competition, they visited the ANCA headquarters to share their experience and career ambitions.

“It’s incredible what you guys are doing,” said Aram Hamparian, ANCA Executive Director. “When you’re done here, consider how your skills might contribute to the cause of Artsakh’s security by designing gunfire locator robots that can be deployed—as part of the Royce-Engel peace proposal along the border with Azerbaijan.”

The young robotics team took a brief respite from competition preparations for sightseeing, including a U.S. Capitol tour graciously hosted by Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.), who had visited the TUMO Center in Yerevan in 2016.  The group was welcomed their first evening in D.C. by families of the local Hamasdegh Armenian School.

The second FIRST Global challenge will be held in the summer of 2018 in Mexico City.

Harout Manougian

Harout Manougian

Harout Manougian has served on the Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Toronto and the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) of Canada. Born into and raised in Toronto's Armenian community, he is a graduate of the University of Waterloo, where he studied power systems engineering. Notably, he served a three-year term as a Trustee with the Toronto District School Board, where he helped designate April as Genocide Awareness Month. He also writes a blog on Canadian electoral reform.

20 Comments

  1. Bravo.this is the future .Congratulation to the youth and teachers and the state for investing in science

  2. A robotic expression of the Armenian talent which has its roots in centuries, and which can compete in modern times with internationally recognized competitors. Bravo, Armenian Robotics Team.

  3. Congratulation to your achievements and victory, you have made us all proud. Keep up the good work.

  4. Incredible achievement.
    It is heart warming and encouraging to see that even though Armenia faces many challenges, the youth are able to participate, compete and win in such a competitive competition. A most valuable resource.
    The future might be brighter.
    Vart Adjemian

  5. Bravo, my children
    You shone your light on every Armenian around the globe. We need more young Armenians like you
    Thanks to your teacher too. He is behind all this. Love you.

  6. Heartfelt congratulations to the team and to Tumo founder Dr. Sam Simonian who saw the full potential of youngsters and built this great resource for talented students to explore and turn their dreams into reality. BRAVO!!

  7. Immensely proud of TUMO…our hope for a bright future.
    Bravo to all the visionaries…donors, coaches, and team members,for making this possible.

  8. “Minds~Hands man’s god.”
    and you have that minds and hands congrats,
    Continue and change the world a better place to live in peace.
    Sylva~MD~Poetry

  9. Մենք քիչ ենք‚ սակայն մեզ հայ են ասում:
    Մենք մեզ ո՛չ ոքից չենք գերադասում:
    Պարզապես մենք էլ պի՛տի ընդունենք‚
    Որ մե՛նք‚ միայն մե˜նք Արարատ ունենք‚
    Եվ որ այստեղ է՝ բարձրիկ Սեւանում‚
    Երկինքը իր ճիշտ պատճենը հանում:
    Պարզապես Դավիթն այստեղ է կռվել:
    Պարզապես Նարեկն այստեղ է գրվել:
    Պարզապես գիտենք ժայռից վանք կերտել‚
    Քարից շինել ձուկ‚ եւ թռչուն՝ կավից‚
    Ուսուցմա՛ն համար եւ աշակերտե˜լ
    Գեղեցկի՛ն‚
    Բարու՛ն‚
    Վսեմի՛ն‚
    Լավի˜ն…

  10. Very proud of our Armenian students competing in a global competition in Wahsington D.C.! Support of TUMO in Armenia will ensure that our students there will keep up with global technology.

  11. I felt a great pride for our Armenian youth to have had achieved such an international technical competition. Congratulations to you all’

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