2010 Yearbook - Universidad ORT Uruguay

52 2010 Yearbook 2010 OUTREACH ACTIVITIES Faculty of Engineering Camino TICs On May 14, the official launch of the Camino TICs project took place at the ORT Pocitos Auditorium. The event was attended by representatives from the Uruguayan Chamber of Information Technology (CUTI), the Rotary Club (District 4970), the European Union, and Universidad ORT Uruguay. The project aims to contribute to poverty reduction through technical training programs for young people in socially vulnerable situations. It implements a safety net aimed at providing vocational training for these young people in one of the most dynamic sectors of the national economy: information and communications technology (ICT), www.ort.edu.uy/caminotics "Scratch Day - Universidad ORT Uruguay" On May 21, the School of Engineering and the Institute of Education organized "Scratch Day," an event created by the Scratch team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to promote the tool and share projects and experiences. Scratch is a programming language that allows users to create animations and games and helps them become familiar with the basics of programming. This event is held simultaneously in several countries. In Uruguay, two activities took place: a workshop open to the public, featuring hands-on computer exercises, and an outreach and presentation session for teachers. Robotics Applied to Secondary Education (RAES) On August 13, the School of Engineering organized the "Robotics Applied to Secondary Education" (RAES) competition for the third consecutive year with the support of the La Mennais Institute and Microsoft Uruguay. Nineteen teams (90 students and 23 teachers) from 15 secondary schools participated, competing with their own LEGO NXT kits. First place went to the Liceo Secundario del Norte (Montevideo), second place to the Liceo de Tarariras (Colonia), and third place to the Liceo No. 35 IAVA (Montevideo). The RAES project is coordinated by André Fonseca, Ph.D., Professor of Analog Electronics and Automatic Control, with the collaboration of Daniel Goldemberg, Ph.D., a graduate in Electronic Engineering, and Ismael Garrido and Gonzalo Garat, students of Electronic Engineering.