First Lego League Robotics Competition Team (ages 9-14) (Fall Only)

Starts September 3rd (rm 307 Science Building)

Girls Team, Ada’s Aces, meets every Tuesday & Thursday from 5:00-7:00, capped at 10 (by LEGO robotics regulations)

Boys Team, The Thundering Bots, meets every Monday & Wednesday from 5:00-7:00, capped at 10 (by LEGO robotics regulations)

We will be preparing for the regional qualifiers (which are local) which are in November (exact dates will be announced shortly). If a team wins this event the season can go as late as early January for the State wide championships. The price for this program will be $80 and include a t-shirt (scholarships are available – follow the instructions on the scholarship tab).

Last year’s team members (or members of the the junior practice team that have aged up) have priority on the team as long as they register by August 29th (and need to identify themselves on the registration form).

First Lego League Robotics Practice Team (ages 7-8) (Fall only) Sept 5 – Dec 12, (rm 307 Science Building)

Team meets every Thursday from 4:00-6:00, capped at 8

If there is enough interest we will open another section on a different week day

We also know that there are lots of 7-8 year olds that want to do this but are too young for the competition team (the age is set by LEGO). This one afternoon a week, 2 hour sessions will let these kids work on this year’s challenge and learn all the skills to be a be a full team member in the next year or two. They will also get a leg up for registration for the competition team when they are 9. This league will go through the first week in December. The price for this program will be $60 and include a t-shirt (scholarships are available – please see the scholarship tab for details). This program will close with 8 students as the maximum.

Lego Robotics League Coaches & 2019 Theme

A College of Science Marshall graduate and high school teacher at the STEM+M high school, Terry Dillman, will be coaching the competition teams. Jordan Holman, former LEGO competitor and Marshall Digital Forensics major, will coach the practice team.

Every year, FIRST LEGO League releases a Challenge, which is based on a real-world scientific topic. Each Challenge has three parts: the Robot Game, the Innovation Project, and the Core Values. Teams of up to ten children, with at least two adult coaches, participate in the Challenge by programming an autonomous robot to score points on a themed playing field (Robot Game), developing a solution to a problem they have identified (Project), all guided by the FIRST Core Values. Teams may then attend an official tournament, hosted by our FIRST LEGO League Partners.

Past Challenges have been based on topics such as nanotechnology, climate, quality of life for the handicapped population, and transportation. By designing our Challenges around such topics, participants are exposed to potential career paths within a chosen Challenge topic, in addition to solidifying the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) principles that naturally come from participating in the program. Team members also learn valuable life and employment skills which will benefit them no matter which career path they choose.

Every year there is a new theme announced for the competition – this year is the 31th season of this program. This year’s challenge is the City Shaper.

CITY SHAPER Challenge

What if you could build a better world? Where would you begin?

More than ever, we must come together to innovate and solve problems. In FIRST®, you are part of a thriving community brimming with inspiration, creativity, and hope for a stronger, more sustainable future—one that’s built better together. You have the power to help the cities, towns, and places you call home reach new heights. With the support of the FIRST community, this is your opportunity to lead our future forward—and up.

FIRST LEGO League challenges kids to think like scientists and engineers. During the CITY SHAPER season, teams will choose and solve a real-world problem in the Innovation Project. They will also build, test, and program an autonomous robot using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® technology to solve a set of missions in the Robot Game. Throughout their experience, teams will operate under the FIRST signature set of Core Values, celebrating discovery, teamwork, and Gracious Professionalism®.

If you are interested in more information of FIRST LEGO League competitions in general see their web site: https://www.firstlegoleague.org/

For more information about Marshall’s teams, please contact us at WVScienceAdventures@gmail.com