Mike, along with his wife Luan and daughters Sarah and Jaye moved to Australia in 2009 from the United States when he took up a CORE appointment working in Wireless Communication with Macquarie University. As the longest serving professor in the School of Engineering, Mike has contributed significantly to the University, holding Faculty leadership positions including Acting Head of Department, Associate Dean International and Associate Dean Industry and Corporate Engagement.

Most recently, Mike had set up and led the successful Macquarie Analog Devices Laboratory (MADLAB), a partnership with the semiconductor company Analog Devices Inc. In 2021, Analog Devices renewed the agreement for a further three years. MADLAB not only continues to provide world-class research in circuit design but has brought industry experience into Macquarie, providing mentoring to dozens of students across the entire degree spectrum.

As one of the founders of FIRST Australia, Mike helped craft and shape the robotics program and its many activities from its inception, which has inspired a new generation of young people around the world to develop a strong passion for STEM.

Mike and Luan travelled around Australia and the world supporting engineering and robotics whilst promoting Macquarie’s scholarships as well as hosting weekly robotic workshops each Friday night for young adults with an interest in robotics.

Mike was a positive, passionate, and enthusiastic researcher, collaborator, mentor and teacher and will be sadly missed by his family, friends and colleagues.

The family are asking that in lieu of flowers, to consider a donation to the FIRST Australia Michael Heimlich Scholarship Fund.

Macquarie University’s FIRST* Robotics Team 3132, aka Thunder Down Under, is a group of high school students and mentors who share a passion for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).

The students, from years 8-12, come from more than 40 high schools across Sydney.

They are advised and guided by mentors from industry and academia as they design and build robots from gears, motors, metal and electronics, with the aim of competing in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC): the annual ‘Olympics’ for young people competing to build and program robots to perform tasks.

This year’s challenge began in the summer with an intensive six-week robot ‘build session’. In April, team members joined around 15,000 students from around the world in the US city of Houston to compete with their robot in the FRC.

For their efforts, Thunder Down Under won the competition’s highest honour, the Chairman’s Award for the team best representing a model for other teams to emulate and that best embodies the FIRST purpose and goals for inspiration and recognition of science and technology.

The award is a huge achievement for Team 3132, being the first winner from outside North America and the first to win so quickly after its formation.

Click here to see the team’s competition submission.

_{FIRST® (For Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology) Robotics is an internationally acclaimed robotics program that inspires a passion for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths in young people.
FIRST® Australia was established at Macquarie University in 2006 and has partnered with schools and universities across Australia with teams and competitions held in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.}

This week on the Pioneering Minds podcast we speak to Luan Heimlich, Director of FIRST^® Australia, about the future of robotics and the importance of the FIRST robotics program in inspiring a young generation of technologically-minded creators. Listen and subscribe:

Listen to previous Pioneering Minds episodes on Soundcloud.

Students from over 20 countries are currently on campus for the 2016 FIRST Australia Asia Pacific Invitational competition, which kicked off on 3 July with an opening ceremony in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.

Individual competitions are being held across each of the four FIRST programs, which are tailored to specific age groups to inspire a love of STEM.  See the run down below.

FIRST LEGO League Junior
This competition for Kindergarten to Year 3 students was introduced to Australia for the first time this year, with four teams battling it out in a small demo competition with a ‘Waste Wise’ theme.

FIRST LEGO League
This competition – open to 9-16 year olds – saw 400 participants from 21 countries compete with the support of 120 volunteers. The theme was ‘Trash Trek’, with students building LEGO robots, as well as researching innovative solutions to Reduce, Reuse, or Recycle.

Cheered on by staff from both the FIRST Headquarters in the US and the LEGO Education Headquarters in Denmark, Team Samurai7 from Japan were the triumphant victors. Over 1000 people attended campus for the three-day event.

FIRST Robotics
Held last weekend, 300 competitors from from Australia and China fought it out in the ‘Duel Down Under’. Winning teams were Barker Redbacks, Project Bucephalus from Wollongong, and Tempe T-Rex, who’s robots successfully ‘captured’ their opponents castles in the FIRST Stronghold-themed competition.

FIRST Tech Challenge
Commencing this Friday in the Macquarie Theatre, this three-day event for 14-18 years olds will see feature 35 teams from 12 countries.

FIRST Australia is proudly supported by Macquarie University.