Tag Archives: Lego Robotics

Archive

Girl Scouts of Colorado and FIRST Lego League!

Home

Announcing GSCO Participation in the FIRST Lego League Robotics Challenge!

“It’s the hardest fun you’ll ever have!”

Girl Scouts of Colorado is excited to announce that we have been awarded funding to support two teams in the *FIRST Lego League Robotics Challenge!

This year’s challenge? Come up with an innovative “Senior Solution” to a problem facing the elderly and aging in your community. Learn how to use technology to take action!

See more information about the challenge here: http://firstlegoleague.org/challenge/2012seniorsolutions

ONLY 20 girls will be chosen to participate in this highly respected international program.

A few requirements:

  • Participants will attend a mandatory kick-off event in Denver the evening of October 3rd.
  • Teams and coaches will agree to meet at least once per week in October and early November to get ready for competition in late November.  (Meeting location determined by mentor coach, teammates and parents).
  • Each team will share their innovative “Senior Solution” with the GSCO community in the spring of 2013.

Girls ages 9-14 are invited to apply here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/P9JKMLP

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES! The Girl Scouts of Colorado is also looking for coaches and assistant coaches to help with the First Lego League Robotics Program! Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of girls? Do you want to help girls develop technology-based solutions to issues facing seniors in your community? Becoming a FLL coach is the ideal volunteer opportunity for someone really looking to roll up their sleeves and work directly with girls in a meaningful way!

Volunteers will be asked to give approximately eight hours a week to this program. YES – parents of participants can be coaches or assistant coaches! We will be hosting an introductory volunteer meeting at 5:30 PM on Tuesday 9/25. If you want more information or to get involved, please email beth.ryan@gscolorado.org.

*More information about FLL:

In FIRST LEGO League (FLL), 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
Girls ages 9-14 are invited to apply. They will:

  • Create innovative solutions for challenges facing today’s scientists as part of their research project.
  • Strategize, design, build, program, and test a robot using LEGO MINDSTORMS® technology.
  • Apply real-world math and science concepts.
  • Develop employment and life skills including critical thinking, time management, collaboration, and communication while becoming more self-confident.
  • Become involved in their local and global community.
  • Choose to participate in official tournaments and local events.
  • Qualify for an invitation to World Festival.
  • Engage in team activities guided by FLL Core Values.
Archive

Girl Scouts compete in robotics competitions

Savanna and Linda with their BUILD Award

View more photos in Girl Scouts of Colorado’s Flickr gallery.

From Troop Leader Susan Baker

Linda Baker, 9th grade, and Savanna Inman, 10th grade, are Girl Scout Seniors in Troop 66 from Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins. Linda and Savanna competed this year in two different robotics community teams in Northern Colorado.

Their VEX Robotics team built and programmed a robot that is under 18” in size, and competed in Berthoud, Loveland, Logan (Utah) and at the VEX Robotics World Championship in Orlando (Florida) April 13-17. Their team of five freshmen and sophomores competed with and against more 500 teams from around the world in matches and interviews over a period of three days. The team ended up winning the Build Award, which is presented by a panel of judges to the team that has constructed and programmed the best robot consisting of mechanical and electrical components.

The girls’ Lego Robotics team built and programmed a robot that is under 12” in size and is pre-programmed to perform missions autonomously to earn as many points as possible in 2 and half minutes. They also participated in a research project to measure and record gait disorders in elderly people. The team won the second-highest award at the Colorado Championship in Denver. Linda joined another team to compete in the North American Open at LegoLand in California against 76 teams from the United States and Canada May 21-22. Linda’s team there won the highest award for Gracious Professionalism, which encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community.

“My favorite part of robotics was getting the chance to teach programming to students who are younger than I am,” said Linda. “I really enjoy mentoring others in the STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and math. This year I have come to realize that I have a lot more to learn, as well as a lot that I can teach others. I would like to see more Girl Scouts involved in STEM subjects in school, as well as in extracurricular activities.”

“My favorite part was learning the fun ways of doing math, building things and making it all fit together,” said Savanna. “I also liked the new skills I learned, such as soldering and teamwork. I also really liked building the robot. I enjoyed working with everyone, brainstorming ideas and trying them out. It was fun to work as a team to decide what was better for whatever we needed at the time.”