2010/2011 First Lego League
Competition Synopsis
On Sunday, March 6, eight weeks of research and design will culminate in the FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) LEGO League (FLL) Long Island Championship Tournament, where 48 teams of children and coaches will demonstrate their problem-solving skills, creative thinking, teamwork, competitive play, sportsmanship, and sense of community. The tournament will take place at Longwood High School, located at 100 Longwood Road in Middle Island. The tournament is being sponsored by School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) and the Longwood Central School District.
This year’s Challenge calls for teams of 9- to 14-year-old children to research and present their own creative solutions to one of today’s most relevant topics: how engineering mixes with traditional biological and medical sciences to advance healthcare.
With missions including bone repair, rapid blood screening, bionic eyes, nerve mapping, object control through thought, teams will have to program their LEGO MINDSTORMS® robots to explore the growing questions around how to repair injuries, overcome genetic predispositions, and maximize the body’s potential, with the intended purpose of leading happier and healthier lives.
"Body Forward" was developed with the input of Biomedical Engineering experts to provide a practical and realistic challenge project and robot missions. This year’s Challenge Advisory Team included:
· Scott Cummings, Prosthetist and Orthotist, Next Step Prosthetics and Orthotics;
· Dr. Lisa Freed, Senior Technical Member, Draper Laboratory – Biomedical Engineering Group
· Dr. Marie Johnson, Director, University of Minnesota – Center for Medical Devices; and
· Dr. Tom Skalak, Chairman and Professor, University of Virginia – Department of Biomedical Engineering.
The FLL competition is judged in four areas: project presentation; robot performance; technical design and programming of the robot; and teamwork, with a consideration of the FLL Core Values. The highest honor will go to the team that best exemplifies the spirit and values of the program.
