The Greater Johnstown area is no stranger to the fury of Mother Nature, having been ravaged by flooding again and again. This year, a new generation is going to get a crack at designing solutions to flooding problems (and more!) at the second annual FIRST LEGO League (FLL) challenge for Southwest Central Pennsylvania. The Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, along with Lift Johnstown, Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center, and Westmont School District, have partnered with the U.S. FIRST organization to offer the event.

FIRST LEGO League is a fun and exciting challenge for students in grades 4-8 that annually reaches over 200,000 children in 60 countries. The 2013-2014 Southwest/Central Pennsylvania FLL Championship will be held at the Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center (445 Schoolhouse Rd, Johnstown, PA 15904) on February 22, 2014, at 9:00 AM.

FIRST Lego League teams use science and math to design, build, and test a solution to a real-world challenge using LEGO MINDSTORMS® technology. Student teams are guided by adult coaches to research topics, identify problems, and build robots to complete tasks associated with the annual theme. The annual theme for this year’s FLL is “Nature’s Fury.” Teams will identify a community that could experience a natural disaster; identify a problem that happens when a natural disaster occurs; create an innovative solution that helps people prepare, stay safe or rebuild; and share their problem and solution with others.

“We’re very excited to present this challenge for the second year here in our area. We had 11 teams last year and this year it’s grown to 17 teams. FLL allows students to become engaged in STEM at a young age and showcase their knowledge, skills, and ideas in a fun and exciting atmosphere” said Allison Felix, regional FLL operational partner.

For more information about sponsoring teams, volunteer opportunities, and the FLL, please contact Allison Felix.

Posted on January 8, 2014 at 2:52 PM by Angie Berzonski