AMES, Iowa -- LEGO robots and their middle-school creators will square off in the State of Iowa FIRST LEGO League Tournament, Saturday, Jan. 22, at Iowa State University. The tournament will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Howe Hall and Hoover Hall. It is hosted by the College of Engineering. The tournament is free and open to the public.
Fifty teams from Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska will compete in this year's challenge. They will use LEGO MINDSTORMS robotics technology to invent solutions to barriers faced by people with varying levels of physical abilities.
The goal of FIRST LEGO League is to inspire interest in science and engineering among students age 9 to 14. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a multinational, non-profit organization that aims to make science, math, engineering and technology cool for kids.
More than 52,000 students from 19 countries worldwide work on their robots and research throughout the fall and winter, then gather for tournament events during December and January. Teams research, design, build, and program robots to solve real-world problems using LEGO bricks, motors and gears. The teams also research the challenge theme and present their findings to a panel of judges.
"FIRST LEGO League is a great way to show that fun and learning go hand in hand and that an inspired mind can accomplish anything it sets out to do," said Camille Sloan Schroeder, K-8 educational partner program coordinator in the College of Engineering. "We want children to experience engineering, science and technology at a hands-on level."