Western Upper Peninsula
Scrimmage 2002
Ontonagon
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LEGO ROBOTICS TEAMS SCRIMMAGE TUESDAY HOUGHTON
--LEGO Robotics teams will have a chance to work out the kinks on Tuesday, with a scrimmage in Ontonagon. The event will serve as a warm-up to the U.P. regional competition at Michigan Tech on November 23.
Ten elementary and middle school teams from the western U.P. will gather at the Ontonagon elementary gym Tuesday, November 12. The teams will have several chances to operate their LEGO robots in a competition atmosphere from 5-7:30 p.m.
It is part of the nationwide FIRST LEGO League. Each September, all teams receive the challenge, which changes each year. The teams use the LEGO Mindstorms robotic invention system to make a robot capable of completing the challenge's various missions. They have eight weeks to do so.
Students use LEGO bricks and other elements, such as sensors, motors and gears, gaining hands-on experience in engineering and computer programming principles.
The teams also develop presentations based on a research assignment provided by the FIRST LEGO League, relating to a problem or opportunity facing the world today.
FIRST means "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology." The organization formed to interest high school students in science by sponsoring a competition with full-sized robots. FIRST LEGO League is the farm system for the FIRST competition.
Locally, the competition is sponsored by the Michigan Tech Robotics Enterprise, Michigan Tech's Wireless Integrated Microsystems Enterprise and the Western U.P. Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education. The center is a partnership of the Copper Country and Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate Schools Districts and Michigan Tech.
For more information about the competition, contact Shawn Oppliger at 906-482-0331 or sopplige@ccisd.k12.mi.us.
Contact
the WUP Center
Last Update: November 16, 2002
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