November’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to community-based robotics team Merge Robotics to support purple shovels – the team’s colour – for clearing snow from Kanata bus shelters.

“This would be extremely beneficial to the community when there are snowstorms,” explains project manager Mélanie Taylor, “as bus stops are often the last areas that get plowed.”

“People with mobility issues,” she continues, “have to climb over a snow mound to get to the bus. And considering the number of people who wear running shoes in the winter, this issue also affects more people than expected.”

“By adding purple shovels to bus stops,” says Mélanie, “combined with generosity from local volunteers, we can greatly reduce the surrounding snow mounds. By reducing such barriers, we can help make bussing more feasible and accessible for our community.”

Merge Robotics is a team of 40 students that participates in the FIRST Robotics Competition. Joined by industry mentors, they build a robot from scratch, each year, in only eight weeks.