Robotics Display at 2012 Formula 1™ Australian Grand Prix

The Australian Grand Prix Corporations’ 2012 Community Engagement Initiative was set to encourage learning in the science, mathematics, engineering and technology fields, instilling passion with children and young adults to succeed in these innovative environments.

The schools program involved three key pillars:

• Career Seminars – Designed to captivate both students and teachers into the world of Formula 1™ and mechanical engineering. The seminars will showcase industry heroes and have them discuss their career path and experiences.

• Driving Science, Driving the Future – An onsite expo held across the 2012 Formula 1™ Australian Grand Prix, designed to highlight the current and future projects of the manufacturing and engineering industries. Displays were from both students and working industry professionals showcasing developments in the science and engineering fields.

• Winning car showcase – Every year the Society of Automotive Engineers runs an international competition for student members to develop a car for less than AUS$50,000. The 2011 winning Australasia entries from the “electric” and “petrol” categories were driven down the main straight of the Albert Park circuit on the Thursday of the 2012 Formula 1™ Australian Grand Prix.

The Defence Science Institute was proud to host a stand at the expo and sponsor a robotics display consisting of functioning robots from the Centre for Intelligent Systems Research, Deakin University, and from Robogals, School of Engineering, the University of Melbourne. 

During the course of the display over the four days of the Grand Prix the Educational Expo and DSI welcomed visits from Minister Peter Hall, Minister for Higher Education and Skills and Minister responsible for the Teaching Profession, Minister Richard Dalla-Riva, Minister for  Employment & Industrial Relations and Minister for Manufacturing, Exports and Trade, and Craig Ondarchie, State Member for the Northern Metropolitan Region.