The 2023 edition of the Toronto Fluid Power Challenge is currently underway with a record 31 middle schools involved. This yearâs event is being held at the Progress Campus of Centennial College and has already included student tours of the hydraulic, pneumatic and robotics labs on campus during the orientation day held on April 18th.
The event will culminate with a Challenge Day on Tuesday, May 16th. The four-student teams from each school have been asked to design and build a fluid power device, actuated by water-filled syringes to pick up a wooden cylinder and place it on one of three drop zones. On the Challenge Day they will be required to build, test and demonstrate their devices that will be evaluated on a set of criteria including the number of cycles completed in a 90-second period. The teams will also be scored on the quality of their design portfolios.
Awards are given to the school with the highest overall score (a combination of their device performance and the quality of their portfolio) and the school with the best portfolio.
The Challenge, which this year is a partnership of the Canadian Fluid Power Association, Centennial College and the Toronto District School Board, has been held annually since 2001. It is intended to provide Grade 8 students with hands-on experience building a mechanism with real world applicability and to open their eyes and those of their teachers to the world of STEM careers and, in particular, careers in fluid power. At a minimum, the organizers hope that the Challenge will encourage students to select more mathematics and science courses in their grade 9 program of studies to keep their options open for STEM-based post-secondary studies.
Members, media and parents are invited to attend the Challenge Day on May 16th.
The venue is the 8th floor of the Event Centre on the Centennial College Campus at 941 Progress Avenue.
Visitor parking is available in lot 3.
We suggest arriving at 12:30 to witness the students finishing the construction of their devices and then their demonstrations.
