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Channel 41

Students build robots for competition

GeorgiaFIRST hosts fourth-annual invitational tournament at the

Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, Ga.

WHO:               GeorgiaFIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology)

WHAT:              The G.R.I.T.S. 2012 Invitational (GeorgiaFIRST Robotics Invitational Tournament and                                             Showcase)

DETAILS:         On Saturday, Oct. 27th, 24 robotics teams from high schools across the Southeast will gather at Museum of Aviation, at Robins Air Force Base, for the fourth-annual G.R.I.T.S. 2012 Invitational hosted by STARBASE ROBINS. Students will compete in the game of “Rebound Rumble”. Two alliances of three teams each compete on a 27’ x 54’ field with bumps attempting to earn points by shooting basketballs in their goals.  Additional bonus points are earned for each robot balancing on bridges before the end of the match.

The high school-aged teams designed, built and programmed the autonomous and remote-control robots; they will showcase their work at the tournament. Each robot weighs up to 120 pounds and can be up to 38”x28”x60”. Media has the opportunity to film the robots engaging in competition. Press can also interview students, mentors, sponsors and volunteers.

Community members in attendance can also check out the showcase area designed to introduce FLL (FIRST Lego League for ages 9-13) and FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge for upper middle and high school students).  Students from Georgia Tech Robojackets will also be showcasing robots from their robotics program at the college level.

COST:              There is no cost to attend the G.R.I.T.S. Invitational.

WHEN:             Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012

• Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012: (9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.)
  • Qualifying rounds and final matches (9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
  • Awards presentation (5:15 p.m.)

WHERE:           STARBASE ROBINS at The Museum of Aviation, Robins Air Force Base (Ga. Highway 247 & Russell Parkway, Warner Robins, Ga. 31088); 478-926-6870.

ABOUT:            FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology) Robotics Competition is a global program created to get students excited about science and technology, by offering a unique varsity sport for the mind.

MEDIA             Val Strain

INQUIRIES:      Cell: 404-557-5950

E-mail: straval@yahoo.com

STARBASE ROBINS and the Museum of Aviation are sponsoring the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Super Regional robotics tournament on Saturday, January 5, 2013.

To celebrate the tournament, STARBASE ROBINS invites the public to build an original creation using LEGO (or similar) bricks and parts. E-mail a picture of your creation (and include the builder if you like) to museumofaviationinfo@gmail.com with the following information:

First Name

Age (over 18 will be “adult” and over 60 will be “senior”)

Title of creation

School/Grade (if applicable)

City, State, Country

STARBASE ROBINS staff and volunteers will post the pictures of creations on the STARBASE ROBINS Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/STARBASE-ROBINS/333460671258

Participants may submit up to three creations. The first day for submissions is October 19, 2012 and the last day for submissions is January 4, 2013. STARBASE ROBINS staff will randomly select someone who submitted a creation to receive a free STARBASE ROBINS t-shirt.

Wesley Fondal, director of STARBASE ROBINS, says, “We hope creations like these lead to an interest in ‘STEM,’ science, technology, engineering and math. This is not a competition, just a way to show what kids can do with Legos.”

How about build a LEGO creation with someone age 60 or older? The theme of this year’s FLL robotics tournament is “Senior Solutions.” Teams are challenged to come up with solutions to improve the quality of life for seniors (people age 60 and older) by helping them continue to be independent, engaged, and connected in their communities.

Here’s a video about the STARBASE ROBINS LEGO Creation Event:

http://youtu.be/2kwgLT8qXYk

This video shows some highlights from the 2012 FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Super Regional robotics tournament hosted by STARBASE ROBINS and the Museum of Aviation:

http://youtu.be/FE_xFwgVaGA

About STARBASE ROBINS:

STARBASE ROBINS offers a hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) curriculum to students from local school systems as well as several area private schools. STARBASE ROBINS is a Department of Defense educational program sponsored through a partnership with the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC), the Museum of Aviation, and the Museum of Aviation Foundation. STARBASE ROBINS emphasizes the importance of goal-setting, teamwork and communication in everyday life. For more information, visit http://www.starbaseROBINS.org/

About the FIRST LEGO League Super Regional robotics tournament:

The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) LEGO League is an international program that couples hands-on robotics activities with a competition like environment. A team is allowed a maximum of 10 players ages 9-14, with a major focus on team building, creativity and problem solving skills. Each year’s competition consists of a challenge with a different theme. Teams have 8 weeks from the September challenge announcement to analyze the mission, then design, program and test an autonomous robot to complete the mission in competition. Students use Lego MINDSTORM kits for the competition. In addition to the robotic portion, the competition also requires the teams to complete a research project relevant to the theme.

STARBASE Robins on Facebook