What started as a fun summer project has turned into something big.
Thirty high school students from around Perth are heading to Houston, Texas. They’ll be representing Australia at a global robotics competition.
It all began in summer workshops run by Curtin University students.
No fancy labs. Just tools, teamwork, and a lot of trial and error. With help from their mentors, the teens learned to code, build, and think like engineers. Now, they’re taking their skills and their robot overseas from April 16 to 19.
Harry Cassidy, a Curtin Mechatronics student and one of the program’s lead mentors, said it’s surreal to see how far the students have come.
“At the start, some of them didn’t even know how to use a drill. Now they’re designing, coding, troubleshooting; they’re operating like a professional engineering team,” he said. “Watching their growth has been the most rewarding part.”
The Curtin outreach initiative began a decade ago as a small pilot project. Since then, it has grown into a flagship program that brings together university students and high schoolers to tackle real-world challenges through robotics. According to Andrew Hannah, Curtin’s STEM Outreach Manager, the aim is simple but powerful: inspire the next generation of problem-solvers.
“This is about giving young people confidence, creativity, and the technical skills to thrive—whether or not they pursue a STEM career,” he said.
The initiative also champions peer-to-peer learning, a hallmark of the Curtin experience.
“Our mentors aren’t just teaching robotics—they’re teaching leadership, teamwork, and resilience,” Hannah said. “And the students rise to the challenge because they’re learning from people who were in their shoes not long ago.”
Among the participants are Kerem Oz, a student from Kelmscott Senior High School, and Ollie Blackwell from Cecil Andrews College, two local schools whose students have embraced the program with enthusiasm.
Kerem admits he wasn’t always interested in STEM. “I used to think it was boring,” he said. “But once I realised how much of our world is built on technology, I got hooked on robotics.” Despite the time pressures of the competition, he’s proud of what the team built—and can’t wait to see how other teams from around the world pushed their designs.
For Ollie, the program has been life-changing.
He’s been fascinated by robotics since Year 3, and now handles 3D design and mechanical components for the team’s robot. “I’m really looking forward to seeing what other students around the world have created. Everyone brings something different to the table.”
The trip to Houston was made possible thanks to support from industry sponsors who see the value in backing young innovators.
But at its heart, this is a homegrown story—one about local students and a shared belief in what young people can achieve when they’re given the tools, the guidance, and the chance to have a go.
As Cassidy put it, “They’ve failed, rebuilt, problem-solved, and supported each other every step of the way. Now they’re off to Houston—not just with a robot, but with a story of WA teamwork, grit, and innovation. That’s something worth celebrating.”
