FIRST LEGO League Competition/CitySights 2002/Students Clash In Statewide LEGO Mindstorms Competition
FOR RELEASE: December 2, 2002FIRST LEGO League Competition/CitySights 2002/Students Clash In Statewide LEGO Mindstorms Competition
Students from around the State of Michigan will clash at the Novi Expo Center on Saturday, December 7 as part of the national FIRST LEGO League (FLL). This is the fourth annual State Competition in which elementary and middle school students build robots using the LEGO Mindstorms kit and compete in a challenge this year called CitySights 2002.
CitySights explores the obstacles, restrictions and challenges that urban planners face every day in order to provide basic services such as housing, clean water, safe environment, educational and medical assistance, sustainable energy, mass transportation, and communication venues to the inhabitants of the city. Factors like population, finite land and water resources, and unique geographical situations are just a few of the variables to consider as effective solutions are explored. CitySights is comprised of two main parts: the Robot Game where students design and develop a robot to solve the different missions; and, a Research Assignment where students present a solution using robot technology to meet the needs of city inhabitants.
General Motors and the University of Detroit Mercy are the primary sponsors of the state competition. Additionally, Ford Motor Company, Hewlett Packard, Novi Expo Center, and Chrysler Automotive are supporting sponsors of the event. Teams have been participating at the local level this fall. Now it's time to move up and demonstrate their engineering expertise to students from around the state.
Inspiring curiosity among 9 - 14 year olds in science & technology is the goal of the revolutionary program. Developed by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) through a partnership with the LEGO Company, the FIRST LEGO League presents an interactive program that captivates kids' interest in science & technology as they master the dynamics of teamwork and problem solving.
Each fall, FLL announces its Challenge highlighting a current scientific or technological problem facing the world. During the Challenge process, teams have 8 weeks to build, program, and test their own fully-autonomous LEGO robot capable of completing various "missions" The average team must take on specific roles and responsibilities in order to accomplish the Challenge.
Over 700 kids from across the state will attend the 1-day event. Awards will be given for achievement in the competition and for outstanding engineering, design, and sportsmanship. A distinguished panel will serve as judges including business, community and educational leaders from around the state. Al Canton, Executive Director, GM Proving Grounds and Test Labs will host the event.
With a long history of involvement in the FIRST High School Robotics Competition, the HOT Team, Huron Valley Schools and GM Proving Ground, and 'da Bears, Berkley High School and the University of Detroit Mercy, have collaborated to produce the State of Michigan Tournaments. Both teams have played an instrumental role in bringing the FLL to their school districts.
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First LEGO League State of Michigan Tournament
Date:
December 7, 2002
Where:
Novi Expo Center
43700 Expo Center Drive
Novi, MI
Time:
Doors open at 8 am; Competition starts at 9 am
Team Capacity:
60 Teams