FIRST LEGO LEAGUE (FLL)

Next First Lego League Tournament:
Date: January 31, 2010
University of Maryland Baltimore Campus (UMBC)

Beginning October 17, 2009 at the first Patro-Tech Science Club meeting, workshops will be on every 3rd Saturday.

FIRST Lego League Tournament meetings will be held on Saturdays – Oct 17, Nov 21, and Dec 19 from 9am to 1pm at Kenmoor Middle School.

General information:  No matter what our student’s subject interest, FLL offers an opportunity for engagement.  Whether it is by creativity, technology, or research, FLL dares kids to test, explore, expand, or completely change thoughts and approaches for different sciences.

FIRST LEGO League Competition is an exciting and fun global robotics program that ignites an enthusiasm for discovery, science, and technology in students ages 9 to 14. 

Program:  Each year FLLC teams embark on an adventurous Challenge based on current, real-world issues.  This year’s issue will be on SMART Transportation guided by team coaches and assisted by mentors, the students will:

• Design, build, and program an autonomous robot using LEGO
• Research and solve a real-world problem based on the Challenge theme
• FIRST LEGO League teams will transform the way we look at transportation? The key to the 2009 “Smart Move” Challenge is accessing people, places, goods and services in the safest, most efficient way possible. In this journey, teams will consider many modes of transportation beyond their daily routine and streamline their options by making smart moves!
• Present their research and solutions

Using the yearly Challenges, FLL:

• Entices students to think like scientists and engineers
• Provides a fun, creative, hands-on learning experience
• Teaches students to experiment and overcome obstacles
• Builds self-esteem and confidence
• Inspires students to participate in science and technology

Competition:  The University of Maryland Baltimore Campus

Business and government support: 

Air Force Academy Recruiters
AFROTC (Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps) is a training program that prepares college students to become officers in the United States Air Force. Students work with Det. 890 to qualify for a commission in the Air Force while simultaneously completing their university undergraduate or graduate degree requirements. 

Arnold Air Society AFROTC, University of MD
The mission of the cadet wing of AFROTC Detachment 330 is to train and commission the finest officer candidates in the nation by emphasizing Air Force core values, teaching followership, and leadership skills, and providing opportunities to broaden career choices- all in an atmosphere of camaraderie, motivation, and adventure.

Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO)
The Conference Of Minority Transportation Officials is the premier organization for the training, education and professional development of minority transportation professionals 

Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD) is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the military. 

Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

The NSBE Alumni Extension (NSBE-AE)
The NSBE Alumni Extension (NSBE-AE) was established in 1988. The objectives of NSBE-AEDC have and continue to be the advancement of ethic minority engineers in professional industry; promoting as well as retaining the number of students currently pursing engineering degrees at the undergraduate and graduate level; stimulating and developing student interest in science and engineering; as well as supporting NSBE and its local DC Metropolitan student chapters.

Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB)
PB is a leader in the development and operation of infrastructure to meet the needs of communities around the world. The firm provides strategic consulting, planning, engineering, and program and construction management services to both public and private sector clients.

Women in Transportation (WITI)
Founded in 1989, WITI is the nation's leading trade association for professional, tech-savvy women committed to using technology, resources and connections to advance women worldwide. WITI's mission is to empower women worldwide to achieve unimagined possibilities and transformations through technology, leadership and economic prosperity

Fee: You must be an active member of the Patro-Tech Science Club.

Information and registration:
Call Patriots at 301-925-9350.