India, May 6 -- The mission of FIRST Robotics Canada is to promote robotics alongside science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects to Canadian youth. To do this FIRST organizes robotics competitions for students from elementary to high school. Students design, build and program robots to compete in a variety of fun challenges, from shooting balls into hoops to stacking boxes. FIRST provides resources, mentorship and support to participating teams, giving them the foundation to work together and use their ingenuity to solve problems.

This April, the University of Waterloo's Faculty of Engineering received the inaugural Educational Partner Award from FIRST Robotics Canada. Waterloo is the first institution to receive this hono...