FIRST LEGO League Southern State Championship to be in Columbus

2016 FIRST LEGO League winners

Purdue Polytechnic Columbus will host the FIRST LEGO League Southern State Championship on January 28, 2017, at Foundation for Youth. The public is encouraged to watch the event in person or as it is streamed live via a link on the Purdue Polytechnic Columbus Facebook page.

Thirty-one teams from around the state will compete for a spot in the World FIRST LEGO League Competition, to be held in St. Louis, Missouri, later this year. Teams will represent the top placing teams from eight qualifying tournaments across the state, which held competitions in November 2016. They include winning teams eight qualifying tournaments: Purdue Polytechnic Columbus, Indy South (Greenwood), Kokomo City of FIRSTs (Kokomo), Indy NW – Pike Township (Indianapolis), University of Southern Indiana (Evansville), Learning Curve at Indianapolis Central Library (Indianapolis), North Central Indiana (Granger) and E3 Robotics Center (Elkhart).

In FIRST LEGO League, children are immersed in real-world science and technology challenges. Teams design their own solution to a current scientific question or problem and build autonomous LEGO robots that perform a series of missions. Through their participation, children develop valuable life skills and discover exciting career possibilities while learning that they can make a positive contribution to society. This year’s theme is Animal Allies, where students figure out how animals and people can work together to accomplish amazing things.

“Our sponsorship of FIRST LEGO League is a natural fit to our mission to educate the next generation of problem solvers,” said Joe Fuehne, director of Purdue Polytechnic Columbus. “By involving our campus faculty and students with FIRST LEGO League, we allow young students to see that the skills they are learning while having fun are the same skills they can cultivate as part of their career, and that we have the experts in our area who can help with that objective.”

Teams consist of children in 4th-8th grades and are typically organized at local elementary schools. The LEGO season runs from September to December, when teams work together to solve a common problem and to build a LEGO robot that can navigate a series of challenges. Competition season runs November through January, with a qualifying tournament held at Foundation for Youth in November and a state competition for qualifying teams held in January. For more information, visit the Indiana FIRST LEGO League website or contact Joe Fuehne at jfuehne@purdue.edu or (812) 348-2040.

Purdue Polytechnic Columbus offers seven bachelor’s degree programs in computer information technology, engineering technology, industrial engineering technology, mechanical engineering technology, organizational leadership, robotics engineering technology and supply chain management technology.