The 329 elementary and middle school students who participated in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) LEGO League Challenge used the competition elements as building blocks to learn about teamwork, problem-solving and gracious professionalism.
The students came from 19 Pennsylvania counties. They had the opportunity to showcase their months of hard work during the second annual FIRST LEGO League competition, hosted by Penn State Berks on Saturday, Feb. 3.
Forty-four teams of kids age 9–14 (fourth-eighth graders), participated -- almost double last year’s total of 23 teams. They dedicated hundreds of hours over the last few months to creating and programming autonomous LEGO robots that performed a series of complex tasks while attempting to solve real-world science and technology challenges.