Local Children Apply Research and Robotics To Explore Natural Disasters with FIRST ® LEGO®
League "NATURE'S FURY?" Challenge
The Quad City Engineering and Science Council (QCESC) is proud to host the FIRST® LEGO® League tournaments in the Quad Cities for the 5th year. In 2009, the first tournament was held at the Putnam Museum in Davenport with 13 teams. In 2013, there will be 109 FIRST LEGO League and Junior FIRST LEGO League teams participating with 700+ students at 3 separate events. The events are being supported by 150+ volunteers including from John Deere, Exelon, Alcoa, 3M, the Arsenal, and the National Weather Service.
Area children, ages 9 to 16 (9 to 14 in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico), are among the record 230,000 children around the world who have risen to the 2013 FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL®) "NATURE'S FURY?" Challenge. To successfully complete the Challenge, teams of young people must build and program a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® robot to complete missions on a thematic playing surface, and conduct research to discover what can be done when intense natural events meet the places people live, work, and play. Through hands-on experience and working in teams, children have a chance to explore a real-world issue to gain an appreciation for and interest in science and technology.
Teams of 2-10 local children go head to head, putting approximately 8 weeks of research, design, and programming to the test in a regional FLL Championship Tournament to win honors and recognition. The FLL season will culminate with the FLL World Festival at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, April 23-26, 2014. Junior FIRST LEGO League (Jr.FLL®) children (ages 6-9) display LEGO models and research projects based on the "DISASTER BLASTER" Challenge theme. To learn more about the "NATURE'S FURY?" Challenge, go to www.FIRSTLEGOLeague.org .
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
o December 7th 7:30 A.M. - 4:30 P.M. at John Deere Middle School (2035 11th Street, Moline, IL) with 26 teams. This event also includes a Junior FIRST® LEGO® League Expo
o December 14th and 15th in Davenport at the Putnam Museum with 32 teams each day along with 18 Junior FIRST LEGO League Teams at an expo.
The events are free and open to the public. More information is available at www.qcesc.org including pictures from past events. For further information, please contact Pat Barnes at barnespatricko@johndeere.com or (563) 370-5513.
Background of FIRST® LEGO League:
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $16 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC® LEGO® League (Jr.FLL®) for Grades K-3. Gracious Professionalism® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org.
The LEGO Group is a privately-held firm based in Billund, Denmark. The LEGO Group is committed to the development of children's creative and imaginative abilities through high-quality, creatively educational play materials, and its employees are guided by the motto adopted in the 1930s by founder Ole Kirk Christiansen: "Only the best is good enough." For more information, visit FIRST®, the FIRST® logo, FIRST® Robotics Competition, FRC®, FIRST® Tech Challenge, FTC®, and Gracious Professionalism® are registered trademarks of the United States Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST®). LEGO® and MINDSTORMS® are registered trademarks of the LEGO Group. FIRST® LEGO® League, FLL®, Junior FIRST® LEGO® League, Jr.FLL®, NATURE'S FURY®, and DISASTER BLASTER® are jointly held trademarks of FIRST and the LEGO Group. ©2013 FIRST ) for Grades 7-12; FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL® Quad City Engineering and Science Council:
The Quad City Engineering and Science Council (QCESC) is an umbrella organization representing 36 technical societies in the Quad City area with approximately 5,000 associated members. The QCESC is non-profit and is actively seeking new society members as well as additional corporate sponsors.
The QCESC is in it's 52nd year of operation and annually sponsors events such as the National Engineers Banquet, the Engineering and Scientist of The Year Awards, scholarships to local high school students, the President's Reception for local Society President's and provides judges and volunteers for the local STEM activities including FIRST LEGO League, FIRST Tech Challenge, Battle of the Bridges, QC Tech Challenge, Mousetrap Car Race, and the Kids Engineering Camp.
More information about the QCESC can be found at: www.qcesc.org
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