FIRST Lego League
Pictured is Kurt Plowman, City of Staunton IT Dept., and former President of the SVTC, performing his duties as a Robotics Competition Judge at the state competition in Harrisonburg
The 2012 FLL regional tournament will be held November 3, 2012 in Harrisonburg...we are anticipating an exciting competition...please plan on coming out to join us. It will be a hectic, high energy event, and a lot of fun for everyone involved.
The regional (Valley) FLL competition is sponsored by James Madison University's College of Integrated Science and Engineering, JMU's Research and Public Service, and of course the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council!
The SVTC will again sponsor teams in 2012- meaning we will reimburse about half of the start up cost of up to three local SV teams (click here for an application for 2012 SVTC team sponsorship).
Take a look at 2012's year's competition ("SENIOR SOLUTIONS"): poster for the 2012 competition.
With FLL, several regional competitions in November of each year lead to one FLL state competition at the beginning of December. This year the State competition will be held on December 3rd and 4th at JMU Memorial Hall (Saturday) and Harrisonburg High School (Sunday) Open to the public so please come out and support your favorite team; if you are interested in volunteering please email info@svtc-va.org
Each competition has a separate director and separate websites. Both tournament directors appreciate volunteers and general attendees - e.g. parents and kids: come and check out what it's all about and see just how interesting science and technology can be. These competition days are high energy !!!
Regional FIRST Lego League competition on November 3, 2012:
- Ralph Grove, JMU, College of Integrated Science and Technology
- Visit Website for detailed information on the November 3rd Regional FLL Competition
State of Virginia FIRST Lego League competition on December 8 & 9, 2012:
- Nick Swayne, JMU, College of Education
- website: Virginia / DC FIRST Lego League
WHAT is FLL?
FIRST Lego League (FLL), was created through a partnership between FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and the LEGO company, and inspires future scientists and engineers.
The FIRST LEGO League (FLL), considered the "little league" of the FIRST Robotics Competition, is the result of a partnership between FIRST and the LEGO Company. FLL extends the FIRST concept of inspiring and celebrating science and technology to children aged 9 through 14, using real-world context and hands-on experimentation.
With the help of LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention System technology, young participants can build a robot and compete in a friendly, FIRST-style robotics event specially designed for their age group. Using LEGO bricks and other elements such as sensors, motors, and gears, teams gain hands-on experience in engineering and computer programming principles as they construct and program their unique robot inventions.
FLL kids:
- Design, build and program autonomous robots
- Use LEGO MINDSTORMSTORMS (tm) technologies
- Learn teamwork skills
- Research challenges facing today's scientists
- Compete in tournaments and present their solutions to a panel of judges
- Build self-confidence, knowledge and life skills
How FLL Works:
- Teams of up to 10 kids, ages 9-14
- Adult coaches and mentors
- Schools, home schools, churches, civic groups, neighborhood groups
- Parents, teachers, community volunteers
- Corporate sponsors
- New real-world game challenge each year
- Sports-like tournament events with judges and awards
What FLL Offers:
- Discovery of the fun in science and technology
- Real-world application of science and math concepts
- Hands-on problem solving
- Programming experience
- Research presentation project
- Adult role models
- Teamwork skills
- Self-esteem and confidence
To find out more about the FIRST Lego League, as well as the programs available for other age groups, please visit the following link:
