The Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is pleased to partner with Maine Robotics in support of a unique challenge for Maine students: Tackling the ravages of a natural disaster.
The event: The FIRST® LEGO® League 2013 challenge "Nature's Fury".
The FIRST® LEGO® League is an international STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) program based in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Maine Robotics, a nonprofit organization promoting growth and interest in engineering and computer science, runs the FLL in Maine, coordinates with the many teams, and hosts the Maine FLL Championship.
Each year, the FIRST® LEGO® League releases a three-part Challenge based on a real-world scientific topic. 2013’s “NATURE’S FURY” Challenge calls for the teams to research and present their most creative solutions to one of today’s most relevant topics: natural disasters.
Teams of up to 10 children (ages 9 to 14 in the US), with an adult coach, participate in the Challenge by:
- Building, programming and testing an autonomous robot using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT to solve a set of natural disaster missions and thereby score points on a themed playing field (Robot Game);
- Developing a solution to a problem they have identified (Project); and
- Incorporating the FLL Core Values, which emphasize contributions of others, friendly competition, learning, and community involvement.
This largest FLL season to date will include 230,000 children in more than 80 countries.
Here in Maine, the 2013 Maine FIRST LEGO League Championship will bring together the 38 highest ranked Maine teams as well as the 10 highest ranked Maine rookie teams to a huge event on December 14th at the Augusta Civic Center. The 48 teams will be joined by their coaches, Maine Robotics' volunteers, and spectators to make up over 2,000 strong for the day-long competition.
Activities and displays will be available from MEMA, the American Red Cross, the Maine Discovery Museum and the Owls Head Transportation Museum.