[Image: JCPenney Afterschool Fund]Ascension Parish 4-H has started a First Lego League Robotics Team. Thanks to a grant funded by J.C. Penney Afterschool Fund and national 4-H, our parish team will be able to complete in the 2009 Louisiana competition.
Competition is November 21, 2009, at St. Mary's in New Orleans. Please come out and support your parish team. If you are intersted in robotics or being on next year's team, we will start a monthly robotics club in December.
Read below to learn more about the FLL competition and what the team members will do to compete.
What is the Robot Game?
In the robot game, teams design, build, program and test autonomous robots that must perform a series of tasks or missions within a two-and-a-half minute time limit. The game and its missions often symbolize solutions to some of problems presented in the challenge theme. The missions are performed on a standard FLL field under a set of rules.
What is the Project?
In the project, teams research a real-world problem in the field of the challenge theme, create an innovative solution, and share their findings in their community. FLL is not just about building and competing with robots. FIRST encourages well-rounded teams, because any successful engineering project requires a wide variety of skills. Through the project research, teams learn more about the science behind the challenge theme and better understand the work of professionals in that field.
Presenting this material allows the team members to showcase what they have achieved through their project and is an opportunity to share the excitement of science and technology with others. It also offers an opportunity for team members to motivate others to act. Sharing the solution could involve presenting at a town meeting; talking with a government official; speaking in a school assembly or in front of a class; or creating a brochure or video to send to the library or public access channel. The project is a part of the judging process for qualifying and championship tournaments. Each team has five minutes, including setup, to present its project to a panel of judges.
What is FLL?
First Lego League introduces younger students to real-world engineering challenges by building LEGO-based robots to complete tasks on a thematic playing surface. FLL teams, guided by their imaginations and adult coaches, discover exciting career possibilities and, through the process, learn to make positive contributions to society.
For more information about FLL, visit their Web site at www.usfirst.org.