Community Story: International School Robotics team creates a bike powered plastic recycler

by THOLEditor | Apr 29, 2026 | Education, Features

My name is Sid Ramnathsing, and I have written an article on behalf of my robotics team at the American School of The Hague. It is about our ongoing project that we have been working on, which turns plastic into 3d printing filament for our school…

Nestled in the STEM center at the American School of The Hague lies Trojan Robotics, one of ASH’s 3 FIRST Tech Challenge teams, of which I am a part of. We are a team of 13 international high school students with 15 nationalities, participating in the FIRST Tech Challenge: an international high school robotics league with more than 8000 teams. Over the past 3 months, we have been working on something special that could benefit our entire community: A bike powered plastic shredding machine that converts plastic waste into usable 3d filament. This project has been months in the making, and is almost completed. 

This idea for this project came at the beginning of the school year, when our robotics program started back up again for the season. We observed the sheer amount of 3d printed filament that our team and the other 2 teams at ASH were using, as we used them both as prototypes and final components. Not only was this expensive for the teams, but it was also incredibly unsustainable, because it forced us to wastefully dispose of filament from used for things like supports or failed 3d prints. Therefore, we decided to create a solution. Our minds immediately sprung the idea of finding some way to recycle the filament, and turn it back into usable 3d printing filament. Fortunately, this has already been extensively researched, meaning that developing this project would not take much time. However, a traditional plastic shredding machine and filament extruder wouldn’t work for our goals, because they use a lot of energy, which would potentially make this project more unsustainable instead of more sustainable. That would transgress our goal of increasing the sustainability at our school, which would make the project worthless. Therefore, when brainstorming alternative solutions, we were inspired by the Dutch cycling culture and decided to use a bike to power our shredding machine. This would keep the project as sustainable as possible while also adding a cultural touch to it.  

To  make this all possible, we partnered up with a local Dutch school, Praktijkcollege Het Metrum, who gave us an old, recycled bike that we could use to power the shredder in exchange for donating the first kilogram of filament produced to them. The shredder and extruder itself we purchased normally. Now, as of April 2026, we are assembling the shredding machine, and it should be done by the end of the season. We are incredibly excited to showcase this project to others and proud of the work that we put into it over the season, as we believe that it could make a serious impact on waste at our school and in our community. We are planning to open the project up to anyone who might want to shred their plastic, so feel free to reach out to us if you would like to at ftcteam24090@gmail.com. 

Youngsters explore science and technology at EPO’s Girls’ Day in Rijswijk

by THOLEditor | Apr 17, 2026 | Education, Features

In international cities such as The Hague, and across many parts of Europe, Girls’ Day has become an established part of the education and innovation calendar, inviting girls to explore science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through hands‑on activities and encounters with professionals. This week, 100 girls aged 11 to 14 from seven schools across The Hague region visited the European Patent Office’s (EPO) facilities in Rijswijk, taking part in workshops and demonstrations for a glimpse into the real‑world applications of science and innovation. The mayor of Rijswijk also joined the event, accompanied by young ambassadors from the Children’s Rights Group, promoting inclusion and empowerment in STEM education.

An international initiative with strong roots in The Hague region

Inspired by what she had seen and done during the workshops at the EPO in Rijswijk, one girl left determined to become a Formula 1 racecar mechanic, fascinated by the precision, teamwork and engineering behind high-performance racing. Another participant said the experience helped her imagine a future as a heart surgeon, combining technology, biology, and problem-solving to save lives. These moments of inspiration capture what Girls’ Day aims to achieve, while also highlighting how rare such clear career ambitions remain for many girls.

The stories of aspiring Formula 1 mechanics and future heart surgeons remain promising exceptions rather than the norm, as structural barriers persist. In an EPO report about women in STEM recently published, the EPO highlighted the persistent gender gap in technology-related fields: only 17.8% of technology researchers are women. While the number of women inventors is increasing, very few go on to launch technology startups. 

“The choice of a STEM degree often sets the trajectory, and it is shaped long before university by experiences that build or challenge confidence and identity in STEM,” said EPO spokesperson Roberta Romano-Götsch. “Even today, women make up only about 30% of STEM tertiary graduates in Europe and with this event we want to inspire girls to embrace STEM and reverse this trend.”

With 39 member states and staff from 35 member states, the EPO is the largest international organisation in the Netherlands and is committed to inspiring future generations to engage with science and innovation. Through initiatives like Girls’ Day, the EPO aims to offer direct insight into real world STEM environments. 

Women remain strongly underrepresented in deep tech entrepreneurship

The EPO report on women in STEM shows that girls perform as well as  mathematics and science during compulsory education, yet this parity is not reflected later in their careers. The lower continuation rate of girls in STEM subjects is often described as a confidence gap rather than an ability gap, shaped by social expectations, stereotypes, and a lack of visible role models.

According to the same study, the gender gap is particularly pronounced in patenting startups. Only 13.5% of startups with patents include a woman founder. Differences across Europe are substantial: Portugal, Spain, and Ireland show the highest participation rates, while the Netherlands, Austria and Germany record the lowest. These findings come just as the EU’s Industrial Strategy and European Innovation Council (EIC) stress the importance of inclusive innovation ecosystems to reinforce Europe’s competitiveness in strategic technologies.

Newer startups show higher shares of women founders, suggesting that newly created startups are becoming more diverse. However, companies co-founded by women appear to face greater challenges in scaling.