 It's important for curious minds to connect and share ideas because it helps them grow and to join in and to have fun with what they're actually doing. So we started this local event for high school students so they could actually get into STEM education earlier because starting off earlier is key to success. When I first came to uni my eyes really opened up to all the groups that allowed me to hone in on my interest. Newbots is an international team which competes in Robocop international competition. Its aim is to beat the world champion human soccer team with a whole team of humanoid robots. So by joining the Newbots team I was able to express my interests with a whole group of like-minded thinking people to solve this one common goal. We thought it would be a wonderful idea if we could bring that experience back. Robocop Junior now is a competition for primary school, high school students to be able to express their skills. It allows them to compete against one another but also to build themselves up in a very positive, encouraging environment. Volunteerism is extremely important. It enables us to share our knowledge and to encourage them to take a step forward. I'm Dr Aaron Wong and I'm a proud University of Newcastle alumnus.