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Dean Kamen with one of his
inventions, the Segway Transporter |
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The
Values and Philosophy behind The First Lego League (FLL)
"When children build and experiment, they live the entire
process of creating ideas, solving problems, and overcoming
obstacles. The FIRST LEGO League International
program meets children where they are and helps to shape a
positive perception of science and technology. We believe that
children’s natural curiosity and creativity are critical
qualities to envisioning possibilities and developing innovative
solutions to challenging technology problems and opportunities.
We therefore strive to strengthen their inherent motivation to
learn in new ways."
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Noted inventor
Dean Kamen, who has more than 150 inventions under his belt,
established what is known as
"The
First Lego League" in 1989. He recognized a void in
American youths’ interest in science and innovation, and was
concerned about the future of both. He created a competition
designed to inspire innovation and foster interest and
participation in science and technology in youngsters. Each
year a mission or problem is presented to participants. The
mission for the 2007 competition focused on Sustainability.
The Lego League
competition includes two branches. League Players build and
program a robot, which they command through different
motorized missions. Teams must also choose a building they want
to research concerning the assigned Lego League Mission, and present their findings
at the competition.
The Harrison Middle School
5th grade Eco Bots chose the downtown North Arkansas
College as the focus of their project and researched ways to
help the building be more sustainable.
 The
Eco Bots made a presentation to the
North Ark Green Team, and at
the Lego League competition in December 2007. At both
presentations, the bright young students gave suggestions and
details about how the College could conserve energy and reduce
the environmental impact of its operations.
The Eco-Bots advanced to
the final round at the Lego League Competition, and were honored
with the Gracious Professionalism Award.
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Click on the image to open or download the
video in .mpg format of the Eco Bot Team's presentation to North
Arkansas College. The file is 85 megs, so your
preference may be to right click the image and save the movie to a location
on your computer. |
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