Calling all Lego fans...the University of Nottingham is looking for school teams to take part in the regional heat of the global FIRST® LEGO® League challenge taking place on Tuesday 19th December.
The FIRST® LEGO® League is a global competition involving 80 countries and introduces a themed scientific and real-world challenge for teams of schoolchildren aged 9-16 to research. This year the theme is water and teams will need to research a problem, design the solution and use their Lego skills to create it. They will then present their projects on tournament day.
Robot Games
Teams will also take part in ‘Robot Games’, using a mission materials pack they are provided with ahead of the tournament. Using Lego Mindstorms robots they have designed and programmed they will be against the clock to complete the missions they have chosen, scoring points for the elements of each mission their robots successfully carry out.
This global event is organised by The Institution of Engineering and Technology and allows children to apply science, technology, engineering, and maths concepts (STEM), alongside imagination, to solve a problem. Along their discovery journey, they develop critical thinking and team-building skills.
Creative STEM
Dr Sam Tang, Public Awareness Scientist for the School of Chemistry at the University of Nottingham is organising the Nottingham tournament, she says: “This is such an exciting event as it is really showing how STEM subjects can be creative. It also gets children thinking like scientists and engineers which helps to raise aspirations. There is always a great buzz on the day as children really throw themselves into the tasks, the Robot Games are so much fun with live scoreboards and rankings and although it is a competition it is very cooperative and teams are often found to be helping each other out.”
Currently there are 12 team spaces available and Bluecoat Academy is already signed up to take part.
Dan Sandiford, Physics teacher and STEM coordinator at Bluecoat explains why he wanted to enter a team: “Enriching our students’ experience of STEM subjects outside the curriculum is something that we are very keen on at Bluecoat. We believe that real attainment follows on from a passion and enjoyment for the subject, and the Lego League competition nurtures a love for engineering and technology. The competition also develops our students’ team working abilities, which our vital for success at University and beyond.”
The day is judged by an expert panel of academics and students from the university and winners of the regional heat will go through to the UK and Ireland final and receive their own trophy built from Lego. All participants will receive a medal to take home.
The event takes place on the 19th December from 9am – 4pm in the Engineering and Science Learning Centre. The cost to the school is £150 per team + VAT and this includes their LEGO® ‘mission pack’.
For more information or to register a team go to: http://firstlegoleague.theiet.org/registration
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