Global competition that enables tens of thousands of young people
to develop invaluable automation and programming skills now
includes Engineering Simplicity award
SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE)
-- Juniper Networks (NYSE:JNPR), an industry leader in
automated, scalable and secure networks, today announced that it
has become the global technology partner of the World Robot
Olympiad(TM) Association (WRO®), a non-profit organization
that focuses on the hands-on development
of robotics within STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, Math) education on a worldwide scale. In a multi-year
agreement, Juniper will work closely with WRO to promote, stage and
further develop this global competition that attracts tens of
thousands of young people.
As part of its involvement in the
competition, Juniper will be sponsoring a new trophy at this year's
finals, WRO 2018, known as the Juniper
Networks' Engineering Simplicity Honors Award. Juniper will
judge teams in the Regular category at the finals, across all age
groups, on the boldness, creativity and simplicity of their
robot-led solutions. Overall, the WRO competition encourages
participating teams to solve challenges and complex problems using
mathematics, computer programming and coding skills, as well as
exploring the principles of automation. It also fosters other
important life skills including teamwork, perseverance, learning
from mistakes and creative thinking.
Juniper is currently sponsoring a
short documentary film looking at the human stories behind some of
the teams and their paths to WRO 2018. The company is working in
conjunction with the accomplished filmmaker and director James
Redford, who is renowned for making documentary films that focus on
personal, solution-based stories addressing vexing social and
environmental challenges.
News
Highlights:
- Each year, at least 23,000 teams from more than
70 countries take part in WRO's competition. This involves
approximately 100,000 young people, ranging from six to 25 years
old.
- The competition comprises several categories
across the age group span, including Regular (a themed category),
Open (to drive innovation and creativity), a robotic football
tournament, an Advanced Robotics Challenge for students aged 19-25,
and WeDo, a starter class for children aged 6-10.
- Country heats roll up to a national final, with
the winners going forward to the global finals.
- The competition focuses on a specific theme that
is relevant to a prevailing global issue - this year it
is Food Matters. Challenges are
tailored specifically to the theme, enabling competitors to develop
ambitious, yet simple, automated solutions.
- WRO, founded in 2004, hosts the Finals in a
different country each year. In 2018, the global finals will be in
Chiang Mai, Thailand (November 16-18) and they will take place in
Hungary in 2019.
Supporting
Quotes
"In WRO, we see robotics as a wonderful platform
for giving young people around the world an opportunity to be
hands-on with STEM. We see the teams adopt new technology when
developing fully autonomous robots and they apply engineering
processes when designing prototypes before completing the
challenges. They quickly get absorbed in coming up with original
solutions to complex problems.
"Bringing Juniper Networks on board as a global
premium partner enables us to tap into its heritage and experience
as an engineering and automation pioneer. Juniper will provide
practical support and inspiration for young people as they embark
upon their STEM-driven journeys toward fulfilling
careers."
- Claus Ditlev Christensen, secretary-general at
World Robot Olympiad Association Ltd.
"My work is all about finding and telling
inspiring stories that show the best in people. When I heard about
WRO's competition from Juniper, the talent, passion and commitment
of so many young people truly excited me. Many teams come from
challenging backgrounds with less-than-ideal education provision,
so their achievements are all the more impressive. It is also great
to be working with a technology innovator like Juniper to help the
next generation think about their STEM education in such a creative
way."
- James Redford, film and documentary
maker
"In the digital age, networks are the lifeblood of
every community, every government and every economy. Automation has
become a key enabler of such technology, functioning alongside
humans to create and operate networks that can scale, flex and
protect, dynamically adapting in nanoseconds to deliver rich
services. Ironically, a pressing shortage of skilled technologists
is likely to increase even more in the future, putting at risk the
potential of intelligent networks.
"It is imperative that the upcoming generations
understand the importance of automation - Artificial Intelligence,
Machine Learning, virtualization - in order to take technology
forward into their future. Juniper Networks is proud to be the
global technology partner of the WRO Finals in 2018 and beyond, as
it is the perfect nurturing environment for tomorrow's automation
innovators."
- Mike Marcellin, chief marketing officer at
Juniper Networks
Additional
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About Juniper
Networks
Juniper Networks simplifies the complexities of networking with
products, solutions and services in the cloud era to
transform the way we connect, work and live. We remove the
traditional constraints of networking to enable our customers and
partners to deliver automated, scalable and secure networks that
connect the world. Additional information can be found
at Juniper Networks (www.juniper.net) or connect with
Juniper on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Juniper Networks, the Juniper
Networks logo and Junos are registered trademarks of Juniper
Networks, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other
countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective
owners.
Media Relations
Penny Still
Juniper Networks
Tel: +44 (0) 1372 385 692
Email: pstill@juniper.net