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In November 2006, a 14-member team from the Instituto Educativo Olinca—a secondary school in Mexico City, Mexico—won second place in the FIRST LEGO League regional competition. The student's showing in the event won the team—known as "The Nanobuilders"—the chance to represent Mexico in the Open European Championship 2007, to be held in May 2007 in Bodø, Norway.
As part of Oracle's commitment to using technology and resources to advance education around the world, the company has sponsored the team's trip to the championship. The donation gives 14 middle school children the chance to participate in an international robotics competition, deepening their knowledge of the technology and letting them interact with other talented students from around the world.
School board member, teacher and Nanobuilders coach María Teresa Compeán de Carrera underscored the value of the students' participation in the event. "It gives us great pride that our community is participating in this international competition which promotes, as do we, excellence and formation of intelligent, critical and responsible individuals by means of a culture of effort and dedication. We are sure this will provide our students with a wealth of experiences and significant growth, academically as well as at the personal and social level."
"We are also pleased that companies like Oracle are committed to education and to assisting children who are interested in science," she added.
FIRST LEGO League organizes local, national and international robotics tournaments for children between the ages of nine and fourteen. The main objective is to promote children's interest in scientific research and dissemination in a fun way. The tournaments also provide the right environment for finding solutions to real problems. The Nanobuilders will join 70 of the best teams from the 34 countries as they compete to win the international tournament. Oracle will sponsor the10-day trip to Norway, including airfare and lodging, for the entire team.
"Oracle is committed to advancing education and making a positive impact on the community," says Horacio Fernández, Director General of Oracle Mexico. "We are proud to sponsor the Nanobuilders in their pursuit to win the competition. These amazing students show the value of supporting education, and math, science and technology programs in particular. We wish them all the best."
The "Nanobuilders" research project entitled "Nanotechnology Applied to Medicine" consisted of a theatrical representation whose main character was "an angel" which represented a nanomolecule that enters the human body to search for sick cells or to supply medication to a specific organ of the body. "We are excited and also very proud," says Nanobuilder team member Diana Oropeza. "At the competition, prizes will be awarded for different aspects such as teamwork, creative solutions or presentation of the project. We want to win and we know we can."
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