Hundreds of students showcased their robot-making abilities when they descended on TUS Athlone for the First Lego League Challenge Regional Finals.
The competition, called Submerged and which took place on Wednesday and Thursday last, challenged teams to build Lego bots that would help them to investigate how the complex ocean ecosystem can support a healthy future for all from the information unearthed from below the ocean surface.
Using Lego blocks and their problem-solving abilities, 34 teams from 10 counties took part in the competition, which took place on March 5th and 6th.
Teams had to consider the challenges that are faced by those trying to explore oceans – of which 80% remain unexplored – and develop ideas to overcome these. The students were also tasked with designing a robot to compete in the Robot Game with 15 Submerged-themed missions having to be solved using coding and suitable robot attachments.
Dr Clodagh Reid, a lecturer in the Department of Technology Education at TUS Athlone, has been working with schools from across the midlands for the last three years to support them in participating in the First Lego League Challenge.
Dr Clodagh Reid, lecturer in the Department of Technology Education at TUS Athlone, said: “It has been fantastic to work with the special group of teachers, students and wider school communities throughout this year to facilitate the teams in participating in the First Lego League Challenge. Now in our third year of supporting this programme, it is brilliant to see the progress being made in the region with four teams going forward to this year’s national finals in April. We look forward to continuing to support interested schools in participating in the competition in the coming years and facilitating hands-on and fun STEM learning experiences for young people in the region.”
A guide was also developed by the TUS Department of Technology Education to support schools, teachers, and outreach organisations to engage with the First Lego League Challenge within their classrooms and extra-curricular programmes.
Jane Burns, Director of Education & Public Engagement at TUS Athlone, said: “The Faculty of Engineering is committed to educational engagements with a range of our regional neighbours. The interaction and development with local schools is by far the most important. We endeavour through activities like the First Lego League to have children discover all the amazing activities and impacts engineering has on everyday life and their futures. With Lego this engagement with engineering happens one brick at a time.”
Four teams are now going through to the national finals which take place on Saturday, April the 12th, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Dublin Airport.
They are Fishco Mobile from Scoil an Chlochair, Kilbeggan, County Westmeath, the champions from the March 5th event, as well as Mounthawk Masterminds from Mercy Secondary School Mounthawk, Tralee, County Kerry, winners of the March 6th event. Through to the national final also are the two runners-up: Nemo’s Crusaders from Tullamore College and Team MCD from Mercy Secondary School Kilbeggan.
Wednesday’s category winners were:
Robot Game: Marina Masters- Dalystown NS
Robot Design: The Jellies- Columba College
Innovation Project: The Ten Turtles- Dalystown NS
Core Values: Nemo’s Crusaders- Tullamore College
Rising All-Star: Aquaneers- Mullingar Community College
Motivate: Sandy Cheeks- Scoil an Chlochair
Thursday’s category winners were:
Robot Game: Mounthawk Masterminds- Mercy Secondary School Mounthawk
Robot Design: Double Decker Couch Potatos- Coláiste Chiarán Athlone
Innovation Project: Team MCD- Mercy Secondary School Kilbeggan
Core Values: Block Busters – Mercy Secondary School Ballymahon
Rising All-Star: Weird Fishes- Mercy Secondary School Ballymahon
Motivate: Jenny and the Blocks- Ard Scoil Ciarán Naofa
First Lego League Ireland is proudly supported by the Research Ireland Discover Programme and delivered by CreativeHUT Ireland. The programme also benefits from national sponsorship by Amazon.