RWU Hosts Record Number of Teams for 2011 FIRST LEGO League Rhode Island Robotics Challenge

BRISTOL, RI (01/17/2011)(readMedia)-- "Nearly 500 middle school students competed in the 2011 FIRST LEGO® League "Body Forward" Robotics Challenge, held last Saturday on the campus of Roger Williams University. This year, the 10th anniversary of the Rhode Island Challenge, attracted a record number of participating teams."

Each member of the winning team, the self-named S.M.A.R.T. team from East Providence, walked away with not only top honors at the competition, but a four-year RWU scholarship of $5,000 per year – a total of $200,000 in scholarship dollars awarded. This marks the third year the University has offered winning scholarship prizes and its fifth year hosting the tournament. Roger Williams was the first organization to offer a college scholarship to a FIRST LEGO League winning team in the international competition's 12-year history.

During this morning's opening ceremony, Rep. James R. Langevin (D-R.I.) offered encouraging words to participants, urging them to, "stay involved in science, technology, engineering and math throughout school, and carry with them the lesson they learned from the Body Forward season: that these are helping professions that create significant improvements in people's lives."

Fifty-eight teams of students ages 9 to 14, nearly all from Rhode Island, spent the morning presenting their team's robots and research projects to judges and the afternoon on playing fields in points-based robot competitions. The team who excelled in the three judging categories: core values, robot, and project, won the Champion's Award and the tournament.

Every team focused on this year's "Body Forward" challenge, exploring the uses of biomedical engineering and biotechnology to repair or heal the human body. Sixty-one teams met throughout the season to design, build and program a LEGO MINDSTORMS® NXT robot. Along the way, they conducted research and interviews to create an innovative solution to an assigned human injury or ailment.

"Over the last decade the FIRST LEGO League has helped thousands of young people in Rhode Island sharpen their critical thinking skills while applying real-world math and science concepts," said FIRST LEGO League Rhode Island Coordinator Mary Johnson. "This year's unprecedented participation is a culmination of efforts over the last decade to build a program that not only educates our youth but encourages them to pursue careers in the STEM fields, which are critical to our state's knowledge economy. Roger Williams University's continued support and presentation of scholarships at the middle-school level is a desirable motivator and investment in our state's future."

FIRST LEGO League is an international competition for elementary and middle-school children featuring an annual real-world challenge that engages them in authentic scientific research and hands-on robotics design using LEGO MINDSTORMS® technologies and play materials. Roger Williams University has hosted the annual Rhode Island FLL Championship Tournament on its campus since 2006. The Rhode Island FIRST LEGO League program is supported locally by dozens of corporations and community organizations.

"The Rhode Island FIRST LEGO League has become a beacon for young people in our state who are interested in exploring the sciences in a fun and competitive setting," said Lynn Fawthrop, senior vice president for enrollment management and communications at RWU. "Roger Williams University's academic excellence in the STEM fields, and its commitment to Rhode Island's youth, make the campus a great location for the tournament. The Roger Williams scholarships provided to the tournament winners exemplify the unique investments the University is making in Rhode Island's future and in its continued academic excellence."

About RWU: Roger Williams University is a leading independent, coeducational liberal arts university at which students live and learn to be global citizens. With 41 academic programs and an array of co-curricular activities on its Bristol, R.I., campus, RWU is committed to its mantra of learning to bridge the world. In the last decade, the University has achieved unprecedented academic and financial successes and continues to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top ten educational institutions in its class.

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 the support of many of the world's most well-known companies, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST Robotics Competition and FIRST Tech Challenge for high-school students, FIRST LEGO® League for children 9-14 years old, and the Junior FIRST LEGO League for 6 to 9 year olds. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org. To learn more about the "Body Forward" Challenge, go to www.FIRSTLEGOLeague.org.

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