Students get ready for the FLL Euskadi at BCAM

• 25 students from Irlandesas Leioa visited the centre to find out how mathematics can help them face the challenge of this scientific and technological competition

On December 12^th, 25 students from the school Irlandesas Leioa visited the Basque Center for Applied Mathematics to learn about the relationship between mathematics, machine learning and space engineering. With the help of BCAM PhD students Abolfazl Shirazi and Gorka Kobeaga the scholars learned the basic principles of these disciplines and were able to see the usefulness of 3D simulations to predict the trajectory of a satellite.

The visit was part of the First Lego League Euskadi, an international educational programme in the format of a sports tournament that seeks to awaken interest in science and technology among children between the ages of 6 and 16 by offering them a challenge that they must face as a team. This competition, which is promoted by Innobasque in the Basque Country, will hold its eleventh edition in May and will bring together more than 1,500 children in Vitoria.

Under the "Into Orbit" challenge, the participating teams will have to come up with an innovative solution that makes life in space easier for astronauts, solving their problems and needs. To face the challenge, the students have the support of the 17 companies and institutions, including BCAM, that take part in the FLL training programme. It consists of a series of talks that allow the students to know real innovation projects more closely and to get in touch with professionals who will guide them in the challenge.