The robotics team from Istanbul Sainte Pulchérie French High School, which won the most prestigious award in the First Robotics Competition (FRC) World Championship in the USA in 2023, is being sponsored this year by Arkas Line. Attaching importance to sustainability investments and supporting projects in this field, Arkas Line became the sponsor of SPARC 5665, the robotics team of Sainte Pulchérie French High School.
Arkas Line establishes long-term sustainability objectives and aligns its business practices accordingly, while also lending support to comprehensive sustainable projects. The company has sponsored SPARC 5665, the robotics team of Sainte Pulchérie French High School, which was among the six teams that earned the “Impact Award Finalist” recognition at the FRC World Championship held in Houston, USA last year. The award received by the team is recognized as one of the most prestigious awards in the social responsibility category. SPARC 5665 aims to replicate their success in this year’s world championship, where it will once again compete. Before Houston, the team will compete in the Bosphorus Regional in Istanbul from March 8th to 10th and the Marmara Regional from March 22nd to 24th. After participating in these two regional competitions, the SPARC 5665 robotics team will travel to the US to compete in the Houston Championship between April 17th and 20th.
Recycled Materials Are Used
Members of the Sainte Pulchérie French High School robotics team state that they utilized recycled electronic parts and other reusable materials in constructing the robot. The team members explain that instead of completely rebuilding the robot each year, they maintain the core elements while updating materials in certain parts. They also mention ongoing previous projects alongside new project work. Team members go on to say that any unused materials remaining from robot construction are loaned to other teams in need for a year. In return, other team members contribute additional elements to these materials and return them to SPARC at the end of that year. The team members express their delight at Arkas Line sponsoring their project, emphasizing the valuable support of this prominent brand in the maritime industry for them. Founded in 2015 in Istanbul with support from Yuksel Foundation, SPARC has won over 15 awards throughout their participations in competitions.
About FRC
The FRC competition is organized by FIRST to foster interest in technology and science among young people aged 12-18. In the competition, which combines elements of sports, science, and technology, teams of 20 members are tasked with securing sponsors, building brand value for the team, fostering teamwork, and designing and programming an industrial-sized robot. The competition is regarded as one of the prime venues for students to engage closely with engineering and acquire essential skills in the field. In the competition, where both autonomous and manually operated robots are tasked with completing given objectives within a limited time, the teams’ performances in the area of social responsibility are also assessed. Teams with the highest points are awarded.
Last year, 650 teams from 56 countries participated in the FRC World Championship organized by the FIRST Foundation in the USA, which has been running for 31 years.