DATE: January 15, 2008
CONTACT:
Chris Minor, (864) 656-3837
mminor@clemson.edu
CONTACT:
John Minor, (864) 656-4411
jminor@clemson.edu
WRITER:
Angela Nixon, (864) 656-0382
anixon@clemson.edu
Clemson to host S.C. FIRST LEGO League regional competition
CLEMSON – The competition will be fierce Saturday, Jan. 19, in Clemson's Littlejohn Coliseum. Spectators and competitors will be screaming, music will be blaring from the speakers and the energy will be high – but it’s not for a basketball game.
Sixty-eight teams of students from around the Upstate will face off in the Clemson/Upstate South Carolina FIRST LEGO League regional competition.
More than 2,000 people are expected to flock to Littlejohn to watch kids ages 9 to 14 maneuver their LEGO robots through challenges and obstacles designed around the theme “Power Puzzle.” The robots must complete as many tasks as possible on a four- by eight-foot LEGO obstacle course in two-and-a-half minutes.
The robots are built from LEGO Mindstorm robotics kits, which contain more than 1,100 pieces, including the LEGO bricks, motors, sensors, software and gears. Teams have been designing and building their robots since September.
This year’s theme “Power Puzzle” is designed to get students thinking about alternative energy sources, said Chris Minor, senior lecturer in biological sciences who volunteers with her husband John to coordinate the S.C. FIRST LEGO League regional and state competition.
As part of the competition, teams also had to research and solve a real-world problem based on the theme. Teams had to assess the energy usage of a building in their community and come up with solutions for saving energy in that building. Teams are scored in four areas: robot performance, the design and programming of the robot, the project and teamwork.
Minor said not only is the FIRST Lego League fun for kids, but it gives them hands-on applications of math and science concepts they learn in school.
“Data indicate that this is the age where students make decisions about math and science and whether or not it is something they will pursue in their education and as a career,” she said.
Winners of the regional will advance to compete in the state competition Feb. 16, also at Littlejohn Coliseum. The regional and state competitions at Littlejohn are sponsored by Clemson’s provost’s office, the state Department of Education and the FIRST Lego League. Both competitions are free and open to the public.
Littlejohn also will host the fifth annual FIRST Robotics Competition Palmetto Regional March 28-29.
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, N.H., the not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math.