Three teams of Augusta County students will display their ideas to help people prepare for, rebuild after or stay safe from natural disasters when they compete at the annual FIRST LEGO League robotics competition Saturday, Nov. 16, at JMU.
The teams from Augusta County, two teams from North River Elementary School and a home school group from Waynesboro, will be among 20 teams competing.
The competition will run from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in the ISAT/CS Building and the adjoining Health and Human Services Building on JMU’s campus east of Interstate 81.
In addition to elementary and middle schools, LEGO League teams represent boys and girls clubs, churches, home-school groups and other youth organizations.
This year’s teams will face off in the “Nature’s Fury” challenge, where their robots will demonstrate ways to solve problems faced by communities in the event of a natural disaster. Each team is required to pick a community that might face any type of natural disaster and either create a new solution or build off an existing solution to keep people prepared, safe or rebuild after a disaster.
FIRST LEGO League involves thousands of students in team-based competitions focused on robotics and science. The competition provides a fun, educational and challenging way for students to learn more about real-life technical challenges and to develop their own creative solutions. Each team competes in four events: robot design, project presentation, core values and robot performance.
Virginia/DC FIRST LEGO League sponsors several regional competitions around the state as well as a state final competition in Harrisonburg in December. More information about the LEGO League competition is available at: www.firstlegoleague.org and www.vadcfll.org.
Dr. Ralph Grove, professor of computer science, and Dr. Steve Purcell, head of the department of middle, secondary and mathematics education at JMU serve as tournament directors.
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Chris Graham
