8th Annual Engineering Competition Showcases Chicago Students’ Innovation in “AMR All-Stars – Innovating the Future”
Chicago, IL – Project SYNCERE will host its 8th annual ENpowered Games on April 23, 2025, at the UIC Forum. This year’s competition, themed “AMR All-Stars – Innovating the Future” (AMR stands for autonomous mobile robots), will bring together students from 15 Chicago-area schools participating in Project SYNCERE’s ENpowered Games Middle School Engineering Competition. The event will highlight student innovation in autonomous design, a technology similar to that used in self-driving vehicles’ autopilot systems.
Student teams will present their designs for automated mobile robots (AMRs) intended for use in a high-demand shipping facility. The challenge requires each team to design and build a robot using Lego Spike Prime that can efficiently transport packages to specific areas while navigating obstacles, including a designated “No Robot Zone.”
This competition underscores the growing importance of robotics in logistics, emphasizing the need for precision, adaptability, and effective problem-solving. As the teams test their designs, the challenge will showcase the future of automation in warehouse operations.
WHEN: Wednesday, April 23, 2025
- Welcome – 9:30 AM
- Project Presentations – 10:00 AM
- Team Quiz Challenge – 11:30 AM
- Lunch – 11:45 PM
- Awards – 12:15 PM
WHERE:
- UIC Forum
- 725 W Roosevelt Rd/1213 S Halsted St, Chicago
The ENpowered Program, a collaboration between Project SYNCERE and local schools, aims to increase students’ interest and skills in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. Through engaging, engineering-based activities, students develop critical thinking, collaboration, and engineering design skills.
“We are thrilled to witness the culmination of months of hard work and dedication from these talented students,” said Jason Coleman, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Project SYNCERE. “The ENpowered Games not only highlight their engineering skills in a fun and exciting way but also inspire them to pursue further opportunities in engineering and the broader STEM industry.”
“Events like these are crucial in empowering students to explore their potential in engineering and technology. We are proud to support Project SYNCERE and the ENpowered Games,” said Gil Quiniones, President and CEO of ComEd.
“We are proud to support Project SYNCERE and the ENpowered Games as a long-standing sponsor,” said Bernice Billups, executive director of Boeing Global Engagement. “The ENpowered Games, and other hands-on STEM activities and competitive events like these, are crucial in empowering students to explore their potential in engineering and technology.”
WHO: 15 Participating Schools:
- Adam Clayton Powell Paideia Community Academy (South Shore)
- Amelia Earhart Options for Literature, Writing and STEAM School (Calumet Heights)
- Bronzeville Classical Elementary School (Grand Boulevard)
- Charles Sumner Math & Science Community Academy (North Lawndale)
- Chalmers STEAM Elementary School (North Lawndale)
- Columbia Central Middle School (Steger)
- Genevieve Melody STEM Elementary School (West Garfield Park)
- Holy Angels Catholic School (Grand Boulevard)
- James E McDade Elementary Classical School (Chatham)
- Jane Addams Elementary School (East Side)
- James Weldon Johnson STEAM Elementary School (North Lawndale)
- George Leland Elementary School (Austin)
- Mariano Azuela Elementary School (West Lawn)
- Wendell E. Green Elementary School (Washington Heights)
- West Park Elementary Academy (Humboldt Park)
The ENpowered Games are made possible by the support of Project SYNCERE’s partners, including local schools, and corporate sponsors: UIC Chance, Chicago Public Schools, The Boeing Company, ComEd, Molex, the CME Group Foundation, Peoples Gas Community Fund, Dyson and the James Dyson Foundation, Jacob Engineering, Michaels Energy, and Discover.
Project SYNCERE is also proudly supported by a diverse group of partners, including the Vivo Foundation, Motorola Solutions Foundation, Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS), CBRE, Brinson Foundation, Inc., Protolabs Foundation, Cleveland Avenue Foundation for Education, Allstate, Neuberger Berman, Comcast, The Rogers Family Foundation, Rossotti Family Foundation, Pritzker Traubert Foundation, Albert Pick Jr. Fund, Stantec, Lenovo, Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT), and many other generous individual and institutional donors.
Project SYNCERE (Supporting Youth’s Needs with Core Engineering Research Experiments) is a Chicago-based non-profit organization that prepares underrepresented students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Through innovative project-based programs, Project SYNCERE engages students in using technology and engineering-based principles to solve real-world problems. Founded in 2008, Project SYNCERE provides year-round programs that inspire and empower students to pursue their interests in STEM fields. www.projectsyncere.org.
Media Contact
Craig Morris
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773-982-8261 x208