Teams from across West Virginia will compete Saturday at Fairmont State University in the 2012 West Virginia FIRST LEGO League tournament, looking for ways to improve the quality of life of seniors.
The theme of this year’s tournament is Senior Solutions. Teams, made up of students ages 9-14, will present research and program their robots in a series of challenges based on improving the quality of life for seniors by helping them continue to be independent, engaged and connected in their communities.
The FIRST LEGO League Challenge has three parts: the robot game, the project and the core values. The robot game and project are what teams do, and the core values guide teams through the experience. Teams compete in three judged sessions in the morning and then operate their robots during the table rounds in the afternoon.
More than 250 youth from 56 teams—more than 1,000 people including team supporters and tournament volunteers—will take part in the state tournament. The event will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is open to the public.
Fairmont State is hosting the competition for the first time. The tournament is sponsored through a $10,000 grant from the West Virginia NASA Space Grant Consortium.
Meri Cummings, lab manager/science resource teacher at the Center for Educational Technologies at Wheeling Jesuit University, will serve as emcee this year after overseeing the tournament’s tremendous growth over the last few years as tournament director. She also served as a mentor to five Girl Scout teams this year, assisted by former Polka Bots team members.
“It is wonderful to see the growth of teams in the state,” Cummings said. “The direction of (new tournament director) Todd Ensign from the NASA IV&V Facility in Fairmont and other volunteers from Fairmont State University will make for an exciting robotics tournament!”
Opening and closing ceremonies and all of the table competitions with the robots will be held in the Falcon Center on campus, along with robotics demonstrations and the LEGO Construction Zone, where younger visitors can build while the competition takes place. This year there will also be a Junior FIRST LEGO League team event, plus FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Robotics Competition demonstrations, representing the entire FIRST spectrum of competitions.
Founded by inventor Dean Kamen, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was created to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology. FIRST LEGO League was created in a partnership between FIRST and the LEGO Company in 1998. More than 48,000 children participate in the program.
In addition to the primary funding from the West Virginia NASA Space Grant Consortium, Wheeling Jesuit University and the Center for Educational Technologies, other contributors are Fairmont State, American Electric Power and Motorola.
For more information on robotics in West Virginia visit www6.cet.edu/cet/robotics. The NASATalk website developed by the Center for Educational Technologies and NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future also offers a blog on the state robotics tournament at www.nasatalk.com/blog/guest-blogs/wv-fll-robotics-tournament.html.
Here are the teams set to compete this year along with their affiliation and hometown:
1. Scouting 4 Science, Buckskin Council BSA, Charleston
2. F.I.R.E., F.I.R.E. Homeschool Robotics, Martinsburg
3. Polka Bots, Girl Scouts, Moundsville
4. Robo Mojo, Mountaineer Middle School, Morgantown
5. Robobros, Jackson Middle School, Parkersburg
6. Virtual Vikings, Community Group, Morgantown
7. Ice Cold Cubs, West Side Robotics, Fairmont
8. WIMS, Washington Irving Middle School, Clarksburg
9. Moustaches, Washington Irving Middle School, Clarksburg
10. East Fairmont Robotics, Community Group, Fairmont
11. Rampaging Robots, Community Group, Morgantown
12. Brainstormers, Bible Center School, Charleston
13. Team TNT, Community Group, Arthurdale
14. Sparkly Mustaches, Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council, Lewisburg
15. Fifth Elements, Greenbrier Homeschool Coop, Alderson
16. Suncrest SEALZ, Suncrest Middle School, Morgantown
17. DCMS 1, Doddridge County Middle School, West Union
18. DCMS 2, Doddridge County Middle School, West Union
19. South Middle School, Smart Stallions, Morgantown
20. DCHS-1, Doddridge County High School, West Union
21. High Tech Hornets, East Fairmont Junior High School, Fairmont
22. Grannies’ Girls, Preston County Gifted and Talented Girls, Bruceton Mills
23. Learning Options, Learning Options, Fairmont
24. Jayenne Thunder Blocks, Jayenne Elementary School, Fairmont
25. Nerdbots, West Side Robotics, Fairmont
26. Nordic Cupcakes, Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council, Sistersville
27. Hello World!, Community Group, Huntington
28. Golden Eagles, Green Bank Elementary-Middle School, Green Bank
29. The Green Machine, Harrison County 4-H, Clarksburg
30. The RoboCops, Harrison County 4-H, Clarksburg
31. “H” Force, Harrison County 4-H, Clarksburg
32. Gadget Guys, Community Group, Morgantown
33. S.T.R.E.A.M. Team, Cornerstone Homeschool Cooperative, Mineral Wells
34. Infini-Miners, Community Group, Morgantown
35. PPS K-12, Paw Paw High School, Paw Paw
36. BroBots, Preston County Talented and Gifted, Arthurdale
37. Pandas, WVU Extension Service, Charleston
38. Taylor County 4-H Robotics, Taylor County 4-H, Grafton
39. TV Bulldogs, Tygarts Valley Middle/High School, Elkins
40. The Silicon Chips, Cornerstone Homeschool Cooperative, Mineral Wells
41. Logan Middle School, Logan Middle School, Logan
42. Wood County NASA Nuts, Parkersburg High School, Parkersburg
43. Laugh Out LEGOs, Westwood Middle School, Morgantown
44. Block Busters, Westwood Middle School, Morgantown
45. NXT Generation, Bridgeport Middle School, Bridgeport
46. Mineral 4-H, WVU Mineral County Extension Service, Keyser
47. Bot-aneers, WVU Upshur County Extension Service, Buckhannon
48. Robo Raiders, WVU Upshur County Extension Service, Buckhannon
49. Irish Robots, St. Joseph Grade School, Huntington
50. Man Middle School, Logan County Schools/Man Middle School, Mallory
51. Robo Geeks, Southern West Virginia STEM Group, Elkview
52. Chapmanville Middle School, Logan County Schools/Chapmanville Middle School, Chapmanville
53. Coal Bots, Girl Scouts of Black Diamond County, Chapmanville
54. Robot Chicks, Community Group, Charleston
55. Robo Roses, Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council, Charleston
56. Fusion Robotics, Harrison County 4-H, Morgantown
The Erma Ora Byrd Center for Educational Technologies (www.cet.edu) develops cutting-edge educational technology in its 48,000-square foot facility on the campus of Wheeling Jesuit University. In addition to a Challenger Learning Center and the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future, the space agency’s principal research and development center for educational technologies, it is home to six other education research projects.
A global leader in academic excellence, undergraduate research and service learning, Wheeling Jesuit University is ranked in the top 10 percent of the nation’s colleges by Forbes Magazine. One of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States, Wheeling Jesuit has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top university for the past 15 years.
Wheeling Jesuit has 20 NCAA Division II athletic teams for men and women, claiming 61 championships and more than 45 Academic All-Americans.
The campus is also home to the Clifford M. Lewis Appalachian Institute. For complete information, please visit www.wju.edu or call 1-800-624-6992.
