Wright-Patterson AFB to sponsor FIRST® LEGO® League Ohio Championship

  • Published
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – The Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Educational Outreach Office will sponsor the FIRST® LEGO® League Ohio Championship Tournament at the Ervin J. Nutter Center, on the campus of Wright State University, February 4.

The annual event will bring together teams of some of Ohio’s brightest 9 to 14 year-old students who will demonstrate their engineering and problem-solving skills, critical thinking, teamwork, competitive play, sportsmanship, and sense of community. Sixty teams from across the state will compete in this event. Local teams participating are: 4276 Beavercreek Superbuilders – community team, 17680 Square Roots – homeschool team, 4230 Hobbots – community team, 17361 Psychic Pineapples – The Miami Valley School, 15866 Thunder-Bots – Northmont City Schools, 26780 Darth Foxes – Ankeney Middle School, 1923 Robo Raptors – St Christopher Elementary School, 32411 Quick Bots – community team, 11180 Mighty Knights – Ascension School, 26355 Robo Rebels, 6999 Top Secret Robotics – Incarnation Catholic School, 9462 Blockinaties – community team, 24139 Technonati – The Miami Valley School, and 31426 Pals of Poseidon – community team.

On February 4, robot table competitions will run on the main floor of the Nutter Center from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. The competition is free and open to the public.

Along with the FIRST® LEGO® League Ohio Championship, a FIRST® LEGO® League Jr. Expo will take place. FIRST® LEGO® League Jr. is a non-competitive, hands-on STEM program designed for kids aged six to ten. Forty FIRST® LEGO® League Jr. teams from Dayton and the surrounding area will show off their Aqua Adventure season through their LEGO® models and their Show Me research posters from 9 a.m. until noon. Also present will be FIRST® Tech Challenge teams, competitive teams of students in grades 7-12, on site to demonstrate their robots.

Since 1988, FIRST ® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology and the LEGO Group have partnered to challenge youth teams who use LEGO® bricks, motors, gears, and software to design and build robots to solve real-world engineering challenges. 

“Since 2001, the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force base has been the supporting body of Ohio FIRST® LEGO® League by providing the funding and volunteers necessary to run the program,” said Brenda Ronnebaum, Ohio’s FIRST® LEGO® League Director and Educational Outreach Office Robotics Program Manager at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. “It’s our goal to show children that math, science, and engineering is fun and to encourage them to pursue careers in a STEM related field.”

HYDRO DYNAMICS is the theme for this year’s challenge. Students are tasked to find ways to improve the way people find, transport, use, and dispose of water.

“The FIRST® LEGO® League Ohio Championship is the culminating tournament in Ohio’s HYDRO DYNAMICS season.  This season consisted of 29 round one regional qualifying tournaments and six round two district qualifying tournaments which took place November through January. There are 554 teams in Ohio; the top 60 teams will represent Ohio FIRST® LEGO® League at the state championship event,” Ronnebaum said. 

The FIRST® LEGO® League Ohio Championship is sponsored and supported  by Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Educational Outreach; Air Force Research Laboratory, the Wright State University College of Engineering and Computer Science; the Ohio Educational Outreach Foundation; and Rockwell Automation.

For more information about the championship tournament and the Ohio FIRST® LEGO® League program, visit http://wpafbstem.com/pages/k12_FLL_overview.html.

Federal endorsement of sponsors is not intended.

Other Ohio teams:

Cincinnati area teams:

2751 LEGO Legion – home school team, 3010 – Constant Deviation – home school team, 24881 H4O – community team, 15817 The Official Emmets – neighborhood team, 30985 – CometBots – Lake Ridge Academy, 24741 Robo Rangers – community team, 3807 Return of the Brick, 24241 Krazy Koconuts – Mason Middle School, 23858 CYB3RSTORMS – Edwin H Greene Intermediate Middle School

Columbus area teams:

7281 AlGeBrOCCoLI – Dublin Robotics, 8220 8-to-Automate – Dublin Robotics, 24637 LavaBots – Horizon Elementary School, 28174 Shananagans – Olentangy Shanahan Middle School, 31144 Mechanical Masterminds – Avery Middle School, 32140 Under Control – Parkway Middle School, 33597 RoboFlow – community team

Central Ohio teams:

9813 The Lego Lords – neighborhood group, 4471 The Wizards – family and friends, 8261 Robotic Panthers  - neighborhood group, 19625 Techno Storm – community team, 19278 Granville Master Builders – Granville Intermediate School, 32708 Scientific Sorcerers – community team

Northeast Ohio teams:

10135 Tech Tornadoes – St Paul School, 297 Brain Bots – neighborhood group, 5206 Crazy Rhinos – Leighton Elementary School, 1854 LEGO Dragons – neighborhood group, 35429 Hydro Hurricanes – School of Innovation, 6089 Tritium – neighborhood group, 23558 Neon Thinkers – Leighton Elementary School, 17130 Kraglebots – neighborhood group, 7345 The Robotic Scorpions – Solon Middle School, 3123 Robo Crafters – YMCA team, 27186 Robotic Reboots – Kenston Intermediate School, 31054 Dynamic Developers – Leighton Elementary School, 24885 Mussel Busters – School of Innovation, 14214 Redskin Tech Team – community team, 33834 BB8 – Willetts Middle School, 17825 LCCS Golden Girls – Lake Center Christian School

Northwest Ohio teams:

26611 Fort Loramie Thunderbots- Fort Loramie Elementary School, 484 Blockheads – Highland Elementary School, 26463 fort Loramie Hydrobots – Fort Loramie Elementary School, 17272 Aisle of Misfit Toys – Ottawa Hills Elementary School, 481 Mutant Minds – Sylvan Elementary School, 24076 Chicks with Bricks – community team, 5276 Octobots – St Patrick Catholic School, 25069 Android Takeover – community team