College of Engineering Hosts FIRST LEGO League Tournament
November 19, 2008
MSU's College of Engineering hosted the Spartan Challenge FIRST LEGO League East Lansing Regional Tournament on Saturday, November 15. More than 150 students from Lansing and nearby areas, ages 9 through 14, competed with fully autonomous robots they had designed and built themselves. The robots were required to perform specified tasks related to the 2008 theme—Climate Connections. Sixteen teams of 7 to 10 students competed.
| The top five teams (see below) will advance to the state tournament in Flint, Mich., on December 13. | |
|---|---|
| CHESS Chargers, Christian Home Educators' Support System, Lansing |  |
| LEGOLUTION, Charyl Stockwell Academy, Howell |  |
| Machine Men, Community Resource Volunteers, St. Johns |  |
| Holt Rambots, Holt Junior High School, Holt |  |
| Robo Reapers, Grand Blanc Academy, Grand Blanc |  |
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a multinational, nonprofit organization that aspires to transform culture, making science, math, engineering and technology as cool for kids as sports are today. The FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is the result of a partnership between FIRST and the LEGO Group. With the help of LEGO MINDSTORM Robotics Invention System kits--which consist of bricks, motors, sensors, gears and software--elementary and middle school students learn engineering and computer programming principles.
MSU’s FIRST LEGO League teams are supported by a grant from Shell Oil Company through the Shell SITES (Students Interested in Technology, Engineering and Science) Program.
“Anything LEGO-related is popular with today’s young people,” says Drew Kim, assistant to the dean for recruitment and K-12 outreach for the College of Engineering. “They grew up playing with LEGO blocks so they are not intimidated by this. It's a great way to introduce young students to a pathway to the world of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The College of Engineering at MSU is committed to K-12 outreach programs like this to educate Future Spartan Engineers.
“Everyone involved--students, teachers, parents--has fun at this high-energy event. And that’s what it’s all about,” says Kim.
Learn more about FIRST LEGO League
Learn more about the 2008 competition
MSU K-12 Engineering Outreach Programs