Biology

Students on 11 teams from Bowling Green, Franklin, Hopkinsville, Leitchfield, Louisville, Morgantown and Mount Washington will compete in a FIRST^® LEGO^® League Regional Qualifying Tournament on Saturday (Nov. 22) at WKU’s Knicely Conference Center.

The tournament will begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude with an awards ceremony at 2:45 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

The area students are among a record 267,000 children, ages 9 to 14, around the world who have risen to the 2014 FIRST^® LEGO^® League (FLL^®) FLL WORLD CLASS℠ Challenge. To successfully complete the Challenge, teams of young people must build and program a LEGO^® MINDSTORMS^® robot to complete missions on a thematic playing surface, and conduct research to discover what can be done to improve the way people learn. Through hands-on experience and working in teams, children have a chance to explore a real-world issue to gain an appreciation for and interest in science and technology.

In the regional competition, teams will go head to head, putting about 12 weeks of research, design and programming to the test as they compete to advance to the Kentucky FLL State Championship on Feb. 7 at Northern Kentucky University. The FLL season will culminate with the FLL World Festival Aprill 22-25 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

Sponsors of the regional competition include WKU, Ogden College of Science and Engineering, College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, WKU SKyTeach, WKU Department of Mathematics, WKU Department of Computer Science, WKU Department of Chemistry, WKU Department of Geography and Geology, WKU Department of Physics and Astronomy, and Penn Station Restaurants of Bowling Green.

About FIRST^® : Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST^® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies and more than $20 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST^® Robotics Competition (FRC^® ) for students in Grades 9-12; FIRST^® Tech Challenge (FTC^® ) for Grades 7-12; FIRST^® LEGO^® League (FLL^® ) for Grades 4-8; and Junior FIRST^® LEGO^® League (Jr.FLL^®) for Grades K-3. Gracious Professionalism^® is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org. To learn more about the “FLL WORLD CLASS^℠” Challenge, visit www.FIRSTLEGOLeague.org.

About the LEGO Group: The LEGO Group is a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company is still owned by the Kirk Kristiansen family who founded it in 1932. The LEGO Group is engaged in the development of children’s creativity through playing and learning. Based on the world-famous LEGO® brick, the company today provides toys, experiences and teaching materials for children in more than 130 countries. For information, visit www.LEGO.com.

Contact: John Inman, (270) 745-3048.