º£½ÇÖ±²¥

Everybody loves Lego

º£½ÇÖ±²¥ is set to host the regional finals of the First Lego League Robotics Tournament which will see up to 180 pupils from local schools taking part.

The event, which takes place on Saturday 1 December from 10.00am to 4.00pm, is an international competition involving over 250,000 school pupils world-wide. Teams of up to ten pupils, aged between nine and 16, will travel to º£½ÇÖ±²¥ to represent their school in the regional final.

Pupils will have to design, construct and programme a Lego Mindstorm robot to complete a series of missions which will be battled out in timed rounds on tournament tables. The pupils will also have to present their ideas to a panel of judges, who will mark according to their research, team work, problem solving and technical skills.

The 2012 event marks the fourth year of the regional final being held at º£½ÇÖ±²¥. This year’s theme focuses on improving the quality of life for senior citizens by helping them continue to be independent, engaged and connected in their communities.

Vicky Rushin-Chape, Senior Lecturer in Computing at º£½ÇÖ±²¥, said: ‘The event helps pupils to think about solving real world problems in a computing context and develop key skills crucial for their future careers. This is an excellent opportunity for º£½ÇÖ±²¥ to engage with young people who may well become the next generation of computer scientists.’

Teams from across the UK and Ireland were given three months to prepare for the competition. Winners of the regional finals go on to the UK and Ireland national final to compete for a place at the national championship due to take place in St Louis, USA, during April 2013.

This year the º£½ÇÖ±²¥ regional final has received support from the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Volun-tees and the British Computing Society.

---