MAE Associate Professor Mamadou Diagne was recently awarded $20,000 from the IEEE Control Systems Society (CSS) to support the Pan-African Robotics Competition (PARC) in Senegal this July. PARC, one of the largest robotics events in Africa, has launched a new initiative, “When Robotics Meet Controls,” co-organized by Diagne, the Dakar American University of Science and Technology (DAUST), and IEEE CSS.
The competition aims to advance STEM innovation and highlight the role of control systems in robotics, with student teams tackling challenges such as obstacle avoidance, sensor-based human-robot collaboration, and precise object manipulation.
The new initiative seeks to broaden PARC’s impact across Africa, enhance STEM education through experiential learning, and drive innovation that addresses real-world challenges in local communities. By equipping African youth with practical engineering skills and fostering international collaboration, PARC continues to lead the way in shaping the continent’s next generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators.