ASU’s engineering school kicked off a season of activities designed to help youth build teamwork and problem solving skills through the use of robotics.
The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering began its third year as the coordinator and operating partner for Arizona’s branch of the FIRST Lego League, also known as the FLL, which is a global challenge for youth ages 9 to 14 to solve puzzles and obstacles related to a theme involving current topics in science and technology.
Students outside of the U.S. and Canada can compete until age 16.
FIRST is an abbreviation of “for inspiration and recognition of science and technology.”
Saturday’s kick-off events, held at the Memorial Union on the Tempe campus, included strategies and tips from coaches and experts, and a demonstration by Team #1262 – Get Smart, a Peoria-based Lego team that placed 2nd overall in a field of teams from 30 countries in the 2009 FLL World Festival. The season will have seven events, culminating in December with regional competitions held at eight Arizona schools and community centers on Dec. 4. The state championship will be held at the Memorial Union on Dec. 11.
This year’s competitions will have the teams completing tasks related to the field of bioengineering. The teams will use Lego kits to design and program a robot to install a “pacemaker” into a model heart, and other tasks inspired by the medical field.
Mindstorms NXT, the Lego materials used, are similar to ones used in freshman engineering design courses at ASU, said Yinong Chen, a computing and informatics lecturer.
The robot display, a part of the competitions in which teams try to complete as many of the assigned tasks as they can in two and a half minutes, is just part of the challenge. Teams must also present a research project, not to exceed five minutes, and must adhere to FLL guidelines, which stress teamwork and gracious professionalism.
Patricia Smith, K-12 director for the engineering school, said that while awards are important, the program’s strength lies in the knowledge children gain from participating.
“What we discover is more important than what we win,” Smith said, citing one of the core ideals of the FLL.
Smith added that participation in the program has increased since the school took over the program, increasing by almost 30 percent since 2008. Smith said that 172 teams have registered statewide, an increase from approximately 150 in 2009.
Scottsdale resident Katie Rasch said that the program teaches children valuable critical thinking skills. She said that she believes that the rules are designed to allow children numerous ways to solve the same problem.
“[Participants] are allowed to solve the puzzles anyway they like, as long as it’s not clearly forbidden in the rules,” said Rasch, whose twin sons have been involved in FFL for three years. “It’s a whole new kind of freedom for them.”
Reach the reporter at Michael.reppenhagen@asu.edu
