JMU - College of Education
Statewide First Lego League at COE
Dec. 6, 2008. Students from around the state converged on Memorial Hall for the annual statewide First Lego League competition.
FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is a result of an exciting alliance between FIRST and the LEGO Company. Guided by adult mentors and their own imaginations, FLL students solve real-world engineering challenges, develop important life skills, and learn to make positive contributions to society. FLL provides students age 9-14 with an opportunity to challenge their math and science skills in an internationally recognized competitive environment. FLL combines a hands-on, interactive robotics program with a sports-like atmosphere. Teams of up to 10 players focus on team building, problem solving, creativity, and analytical thinking to develop a well thought out solution to a problem currently facing the world - the Challenge.
Each September, a new Challenge is unveiled to FLL teams across the world. Over the ensuing 8 weeks, the teams strategize, design, build, program, test and refine a fully autonomous robot using LEGO MINDSTORMSTM technology. The robots are capable of completing various challenge missions in a "Robot Game". The teams also search the Web, talk to scientists, visit the library and develop compelling presentations based on the FLL "Research Assignment", which relates to the problem identified in the Challenge. In addition to the challenge, the teams are evaluated in two other areas; Teamwork and Robot Design.
Virginia/DC FIRST LEGO League (VA/DC FLL) is a separate locally managed affiliate under the global FIRST LEGO League organization. In 1999, the first FLL team formed in Virginia had to travel to Alabama to participate in a tournament. The next year, Virginia FLL started with 50 teams and one state tournament. Since then FLL participation has grown rapidly to more then 3,800 students in more than 350 teams across the Commonwealth. In 2007 the teams in the District of Columbia joined the Virginia FLL teams and VA/DC FLL was born. This year FLL teams will participate in sixteen Regional Qualifying tournaments and the most successful teams will meet at the Virginia/DC FLL Championship tournament at James Madison University.
* * *For further information on this article, contact Nick Swayne (swaynedd@jmu.edu).
* * *Back to COE Home
The Deer Crossing team, shown at left, was one of dozens of teams bringing creativity and innovation to problem solving as part of the JMU First Lego League competition.
