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William I. “Bill” Sutley
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Editing Portfolio
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Before COLUMBUS, Ga. – There will be 246 participants going for top prizes at the Regional FIRST LEGO League (FLL) competition at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 23 in Columbus State University’s Davidson Center Lounge and the Schuster Center. This is the fifth time CSU has hosted the regionals and officials expect 27 teams from as far south as Thomasville, and as far north as Newnan to compete. That surpasses the then record 23 teams mark from last year. The competition is free and open to the public. “Each year, it gets a little bit bigger,” Wayne Summers, Professor and Distinguished Chairperson TSYS School of Computer Science, said. “We think this is going to be a great year.” Participants in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) event are in grades fourth through eighth (ages 9-14). There also will be a junior FIRST LEGO League (grades K-3) that will not require registration. Participants can just show up. The FLL introduces young people ages 9-14 to the fun and excitement of science and technology while building self-confidence, knowledge and life skills. While the program involves LEGO robotics, FLL goes far beyond robotics, with teams examining real-life problems and developing innovative solutions. The highlight of the event is the robot competition. Each team will build a robot that must overcome the collective challenges of an obstacle course in 2:30 minutes. This year’s theme, Nature’s Fury, is tied to the research component of the competition. Each team, comprised of up to 10 members, will talk about the disaster they discovered and about the research they did on them. “The kids will do a presentation on that disaster,” Summers said. “Then they will propose a solution to overcoming it, or ways to minimize the effects of the disaster.” CSU will also host the FFL Super Regional Jan. 11, which is the next level of competition from this event.
After COLUMBUS, Ga. — Nearly 250 children and pre-teens will compete Saturday for top prizes at a regional Lego robotics tournament at Columbus State University. The 9 a.m. Nov. 23 tournament in CSU’s Davidson Student Center and Schuster Center for Student Success marks the fifth time CSU has hosted the regionals. Officials expect 246 participants in 27 teams from as far south as Thomasville and as far north as Newnan. That surpasses a record 23 teams that competed last year. The competition is free and open to the public. “Each year, it gets a little bit bigger,” said professor Wayne Summers, chair of Columbus State’s TSYS School of Computer Science. “We think this is going to be a great year.” Participants in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) event are ages 9-14 in grades 4-8. There also will be a junior FIRST Lego League for grades K-3 that will not require registration. Participants can just show up. FLL aims to introduce young people to science and technology while building self-confidence, knowledge and life skills. While the program involves Lego robotics, FLL goes beyond robotics, with teams examining real-life problems and developing solutions. One highlight of the event is the robot competition. Each team will build a robot that must navigate an obstacle course in two minutes and 30 seconds. This year’s theme, “Nature’s Fury,” is tied to the research component of the competition. Each team of up to 10 members will talk about a type of disaster and related research they conducted. “They will propose a solution to overcoming it or ways to minimize the effects of the disaster,” Summers said. Columbus State will also host on Jan. 11 the FLL Super Regional, which is the next level of competition. ###