Fifteen schools competed in the Kent and Medway regional finals of the FIRST© LEGO© League Competition at the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus on Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 December 2016.
FIRST LEGO League is a global science and technology challenge for students aged nine to sixteen which aims to encourage an interest in real world issues and to develop key skills for future careers.
This year’s theme was ‘Animal Allies’. In addition to designing and programming a robot to compete in the table-top challenge, teams were required to identify a problem when people and animals interact, design a solution and share this with others as part of the project challenge. Teams were also judged on their FIRST LEGO League core values in a teamwork challenge.
The regional finals were organised by the University’s Partnership Development Office and School of Computing, sponsored by the BCS – The Chartered Institute for IT. Trophies were awarded to winners of the various challenges (see below) over the two days. The overall winners will go on to compete in the National Finals at the University of the West of England (UWE) Exhibition and Conference Centre on Sunday 26 February 2017.
• Overall winners: Somerhill and Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School
• Project award: Somerhill and Swalecliffe Community Primary School
• Robot design and performance award: St Teresa’s School and Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School
• Core Values award: Astor College and Kent College
• Judges special award: Kemsing Primary School and St. Katharine’s Knockholt CEP School
Jack Fox, of the University’s Partnership Development Office, said: “First Lego League is an excellent way to encourage young people to take an interest in science and technology and develop a range of transferable skills. This year, the competition will bring together over 28,000 teams from 88 countries. Students were full of enthusiasm and clearly engaged with the challenge, which inspired some truly innovative solutions to existing issues surrounding animal and human interactions.”
For further information about this event please contact outreach@kent.ac.uk