he Cayman Islands National Robotics Team made a notable impact at the 2024 FIRST Global Challenge in Athens, Greece, where they competed against 194 other countries and took home the Social Media Challenge award for their initiatives to promote awareness of food security along with sustainable practices.

Teams were tasked with building a robot that can manoeuvre and complete challenges in a simulation of the global food system. They also participated in the Feeding the Future New Technology Experience to develop innovative solutions for more equitable and resilient food systems.

During the 26-29 September competition in the Greek capital, the team was recognised for its innovative approach to their challenges in which they had four wins, one tie and five losses. The team’s display of their pickup and delivery mechanism for the game pieces was noted, as they competed with a robot they designed, built and programmed themselves.

Cayman Islands National Robotics Team competed against 194 other countries at FIRST Global Challenge in Athens, Greece.

“These challenges are so much more than the competition itself. The team got exposure to countries across the globe, their way of thinking and strategy during the matches,” said team manager Glenda McTaggart, who is also senior manager for education programmes at Dart.

“To be awarded for the Social Media Challenge shows the enthusiasm and effort that Cayman’s students put into their work. It’s a sign that robotics is making great strides in the Cayman Islands. Although the team finished the competition with a 134 ranking this year, the team did extremely well.” McTaggart added the award received was for work done in the lead up to the event in Athens. 

Team coach and subject leader for Design & Technology at John Gray High School, Desmond White, said each year students are pushed to think critically, creatively and simply, out of the box. “It brings me great joy to see the team design and build their robot to the best of their ability,” he said.

The innovative design of the team’s robot played a crucial role in securing points with their alliances during the team’s matches. “Coming to the FIRST Global Challenge year after year and seeing the student’s ideas and strategies come alive is very rewarding. Robotics is not just about engineering robots, it’s about problem-solving and pivoting in the face of adversity – which the team did very well this year,” White said. 

Cayman Islands National Robotics Team members in action.

Team member Jamie Johnson of Clifton Hunter High School spoke about his experience in Athens and his interest in this year’s theme, “Feeding the Future” which examined soil degradation and food distribution challenges stemming from a growing human population.

“It was pretty exciting to be in Athens to compete and represent the Cayman Islands at FIRST Global Challenge this year. Our team had an excellent collaborative spirit which ignited us to ensure that we always stayed positive even in our defeats. We all brought a unique set of skills and perspectives to the team this year and that was our greatest advantage in the competition,” Johnson said.    

Following the competition, the team spent a day taking in the historic sites of Athens, including a visit to the Acropolis and Parthenon. 

The Cayman Islands National Team members are Liam Benson (Cayman Prep & High School), Megha Cherayath (St. Ignatius Catholic School), Harry Cowell (Cayman International School), Garson Gardiner (John Gray High School), Jamie Johnson (Clifton Hunter High School), Abe Mohammed (Triple C School), Daeniell Pink (Triple C School) and Aryan Ramsammy (Layman E. Scott Sr. High School). The students were accompanied by Glenda McTaggart – team manager, Desmond White – team coach and Nametha Abraham – team mentor.

The members of the national team expressed thanks for Aureum Re, CUC, Dart, Digicel, Health City Cayman Islands and KPMG, as without them, this programme would not be possible.