FIRST LEGO League Challenge 2013-2014 to Design Solution for Natural Disaster

FIRST LEGO League has announced its team challenge for the upcoming year.  #Nature's Fury will have global teen robotics teams work on identifying a community which could experience a natural disaster, identifying a problem which occurs in the wake of a natural disaster, creating an innovative solution to the problem, and sharing the problem and solution with others.  Solutions will be presented by team members at tournaments, including LEGO robot missions and multimedia presentations.  For more information about the challenge, visit FIRST LEGO League 2013 Nature's Fury Challenge.

Local Robotics Teams Compete

Greater Antelope Valley robotics teams are in competition mode, with the following upcoming matches:

• FIRST Tech Challenge - March 2, in Monrovia, CA:  Lancaster HS GarageBots #72; Team PHI #452; Tehachapi Rick Rollers #4344; Quartz Hill HS Rebelutionary #5751; and Paraclete HS (Update 3/4 - #72 Garagebots from Lancaster and #5751 and #6354 from Quartz Hill were Alliance Finalists in Monrovia! Congrats, also, to #452 Team PHI who received the Compass and Connect Awards, and #5230 Million Minds from Victor Valley who received 3rd place in the Judge's Award! )

"Robotis" at the Monrovia FTC event

• FIRST Robotics Challenge:
• Lancaster High School FRC #399:  March 8-9,  San Diego, March 21-23, Sacramento, UC Davis, and Inland Empire, CSU San Bernardino March 28-30;
• Antelope Valley High FRC #2339:  March-8-9, San Diego, and April 4-6, Las Vegas;
• Another update 3/14:  Lancaster and AVHS made it to the semi-finals at the San Diego competition last weekend.
• Tehachapi High #585:  March 28-30, Inland Empire, CSU San Bernardino, and April 4-6, Las Vegas, NV
• Poppy Festival demonstrations - April 20-21, Lancaster City Park;
• World Championships, St. Louis, MO, April 24-27, Teams TBD

Other competitions in the greater LA/OC/Ventura area include:  FIRST Robotics Challenge on March 21 at Long Beach Arena, http://firstlaregional.com/ ;  FIRST LEGO League Expo on April 13 at Eagle Rock Plaza, http://fll.larobotics.org/JrFLLExpo2013Apr.html, FIRST LEGO League Senior Solutions Challenge on April 13 at OC Fairgrounds, and FIRST LEGO League Expo on April 20 at Las Colinas Gym, Camarillo.

Make sure to root for your favorite team!

 

 

Local Robotics Awards

Congratulations to Lancaster High School Eagle Robotics Team 399 for earning the Quality Award by Motorola and the Website Award at the Utah Regional FIRST Robotics Competition held 15-17 March in Salt Lake City.  Team 399 also finished first in the standings with a record of 10-1-0.  http://www2.usfirst.org/2012comp/Events/UT/rankings.html

Eagle Robotics also won the Quality Award by Motorola at the San Diego Regional FIRST Competition 2-4 March, as well as being Regional Finalist #2 (5-4-0); Antelope Valley High's Robolopes Team 2339 were the Regional Finalist #3 at the San Diego Regional competition (4-6-0).  http://www2.usfirst.org/2012comp/events/SDC/rankings.html

The Cyberpenguins of Tehachapi High School will be competing at upcoming regionals.

"Wouldn't It Be Cool If . . . " Contest Submissions Due by 3/28/12

Aimed at youngsters between the ages of 10 and 15, TimeWarner's Connect a Million Minds and i.am FIRST are sponsoring a contest for young inventors/innovators called "Wouldn't It Be Cool If . . .."  Kids in age categories of 10-12 and 13-15 (individually or in teams of 2-3) can submit an idea of how a cool invention would better their community/world, and how math and science would make it work.  Expert panelists will select two finalists from each age group, who will then be invited to "pitch" their idea to Dean Kamen, will.i.am, and other guest judges at the FIRST championships in St. Louis, Missouri.  Voters can support a particular idea by clicking on the "awesome" button on its page (votes are one of four judging criteria).

Submissions are due by no later than 28 March 2012.

For more details, visit http://www.wouldntitbecoolif.com/about