Hamilton County is hosting the Chattanooga First Lego League Robotics Regional Qualifying Tournament this Saturday, and the Chattanooga/North Georgia FLL Robotics Super-Regional Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 14. There will be 36 robotics teams from Chattanooga and North Georgia competing and the event will be held at Red Bank Middle School. More than 100 volunteers will engage to support the effort and opportunities are still available for the Super-Regional Tournament in January.
Each year FLL designs a challenge based on a real-world scientific topic. The 2016 challenge is Animal Allies, focusing on the interactions between humans and animals, and how these interactions might be improved. FLL teams are students from elementary schools, middle schools and home schools. Teams can be up to ten members, with at least two adult coaches. Each team is required to participate in four parts of the competition, robot game, research project presentation, robot design/programming and core values. The team’s robot has to be programmed to score points on a themed playing field with each mission representing an aspect of human/animal interactions.
Tournament Director Scott Rosenow, encourages the community to embrace this opportunity to support our students. “The skills these students are developing throughout this competition aren’t just related to technology, they are skills that will help students be career ready in any industry where innovation, teamwork and critical thinking is required,” said Mr. Rosenow. The robotics portion of the event is open to the public beginning at 9:30 a.m., with awards ceremonies scheduled for 3:45 p.m.
Although all volunteer spots are filled for Saturday’s event, volunteers can review January tournament needs and register here. No prior robotics experience is necessary and training will be provided. Corporate and community groups are encouraged to participate as volunteer teams and individuals are also welcome. Opportunities include assisting with volunteer sign in, robotics team sign in, practice table time keeping, and several other high-energy support activities for the robotics competition. All volunteers will receive a FLL t-shirt and the opportunity to support students in technology.
There is no cost associated with volunteering for the FLL Robotics Competition. For more information about First Lego League’s Animal Allies challenge, visit their website. To register to volunteer, create a free SignUp.com account here.