SASSAk12 and the First Lego League
Dr. Ivy and Dr. Katrina help to unearth innovative ideas with First Lego League teams!
SASSAk12 board members Ivy Faulkner and Katrina Yezzi-Woodley have recently been volunteering to assist various young innovators involved in the FIRST LEGO League (FLL). This program is designed to engage young people around the ages of 6 – 16 years old in STEM topics by encouraging them to develop solutions to real-world challenges in various fields. This year the theme for the FLL challenge is Unearthed.
In the UNEARTHED TM challenge, FIRST ® LEGO ® League teams will uncover the past to discover the future. Every artifact we uncover holds a story. Each tool, each innovation, each work of art connects us to the people and ideas that came before us. Using STEM skills and teamwork, today we can dig deeper into discoveries than ever before.
The way that a FLL Challenge is organized is two-fold. For one part of the challenge, the team designs and programs an autonomous robot using LEGO that will be able to navigate a competition board and complete a variety of different tasks within a designated time limit. The second part of the challenge involves designing an innovative solution to a real-world problem relevant to the chosen theme for that year that the team then presents to a panel of judges. The teams are scored based on the performance and design of their robot, the quality of their innovation project, as well as the teams’ demonstration of FLL’s core values (Discovery, Innovation, Impact, Inclusion, Teamwork, and Fun). Based on the team’s scores, they can advance from regional to state, national, and even global levels of competition.
SASSAk12 has helped several different FLL teams by providing insight into what archaeology is and what sorts of problems archaeologists may face. The FLL teams use these insights to help them come up with an innovative project that archaeologists can then provide feedback on, allowing the team to improve on their design. As a result of this collaboration, these teams have demonstrated some incredible imagination, problem-solving, and thoughtful design. Here are just a couple of examples that have resulted from these efforts.
The Brickologists were one of the top teams in their regional competition with their innovative idea about using kite power to provide energy for archaeologists working in the field.
The Minnesota Ice Cubers also topped their regional competition with their innovative design for a portable but durable shaker screen that would make it easier for archaeologists to transport this vital piece of fieldwork equipment across long distances and rough terrain.
Both teams performed excellently at the Minnesota state championships! SASSAk12 is always excited to get involved with inspiring new, innovative projects. To assist SASSAk12 in this mission, please consider donating by clicking the link below.
