RoboSTEMpathy P1

Are you ready to build a robot that changes lives?

IEEE Region 8 invites all Sections to participate in RoboSTEMpathy. This new program empowers school-aged and university students to utilize robotics and STEM to address real-world humanitarian challenges, aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

RoboSTEMpathy goes beyond a robotics challenge. It’s a movement to blend technical skills with empathy to create lasting social impact.

Phase 1: Local RoboSTEMpathy Events

Run until the end of October 2025
Organized by IEEE Sections (with the leading support of Sections’ Education Officers)

All IEEE Region 8 Sections are encouraged to create mixed teams of school-aged and university students to participate in this new program. The recommended team size is 4–6 members.

What Teams Will Do?

Organize STEM events in their local communities for school-aged students, and develop a concept for a robotic solution addressing a local humanitarian challenge. Their project should be aligned with one or more UN SDGs. All events should be submitted to VTools under the Pre-U STEM Program category.

Deliverables

Each participating team will submit:

• Concept of the robotic solution
• Report of STEM preparation activities
• Project description highlighting:
  • The technical solution
  • The human impact
  • The educational outcomes for the school-aged students

Awards & Recognition

$300 Prizes in Three Categories:

• Best Section (based on vTools event reporting count)
• Best Education Officer (based on the number of active teams)
• Best Team (based on project quality and innovation)

The winning teams from each section will use their prize to develop their idea prototype and participate in an in-person event to present it. More details about the event and venue will be shared at a later stage of this call.

Important Dates

Section officers are encouraged to report every team using THIS FORM, until July 20, 2025

All submissions must be reported to PEAC by 2 November 2025

Awards will be announced and delivered no later than 1 December 2025