Category: Media and Press Coverage

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – December 12, 2010

SCHNECKSVILLE’S IGUTECH WINS REGIONAL ROBOTICS COMPETITION

Back left to right: Stewart Albert, Justin Evans, Jackie Katz, Coach Harald Guenther,
Jonathan Snyder, Ferdinand Schall, Sydney Neth.
Front left:Tilman Guenther, Henrik zu Jeddeloh

Schnecksville, PA, December 12, 2010: The Schnecksville FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) team had a huge success Saturday December 11 winning first place the regional science and robotics competition at the Conrad School of Science in Wilmington, DE. The team from Schnecksville, known as Team Igutech, was awarded the prestigious “Champion’s Award” and thus qualified to participate in the next level FLL tournament (Championships on January 22, 2011). More than 30 teams competed in this all-day event from the Tri-State area.
Six of the eight Igutech members are Orefield Middle School 6th graders: Sydney Neth, Jackie Katz, Justin Evans, Stewart Albert, Jonathan Snyder, Tilman Guenther – plus 6th graders Henrik zu Jeddeloh and Ferdinand Schall from other local schools. “It’s a fantastic achievement to win this qualifier”, stated Harald Guenther, coach of Schnecksville’s Igutech team. “It is only our second season and this year’s challenge was much harder than the previous one, especially the tasks in the robotics category. We did well, but hope to teach our robot even more tricks by the time we go to the Championships in January 2011,” he added.
This year’s challenge (internationally published by FLL in early September) was to pick a problem from the complex field of bio-medical engineering, and research solutions. Coach Guenther organized after school field trips to local companies including Atmos, BBraun and Aesculap where the boys and girls learned about bio-medical work first hand. “Everyone was really helpful and willing to teach us about their company’s specific products and research. We asked tons of questions and they really took the time to share their knowledge with us. At the same time the engineers were impressed by our work with LEGO robots and the programming we do”, says Tilman Guenther who started the team in February 2009 with his father. After speaking with Parkland High School science teacher Laura Kowalski and Lehigh Valley Hospital neurologist Dr. Lorraine Spikol, the Igutechs decided to select Multiple Sclerosis (MS)  related walking difficulties as their research topic. They studied the impacts of MS on the central nervous system as well as existing MS therapies before coming up with an innovative  therapy idea utilizing nanobots.
At the Delaware tournament the team was judged on its research as well as their performance in a teamwork exercise. They were also judged on their robot design, robot programming and finally the performance of the robot on the game field.

For more information about the winning team, please see www.igutech.org !

About FIRST LEGO LEAGUE (FLL)
FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is an exciting and fun global robotics program that ignites an enthusiasm for discovery, science, and technology in kids ages 9 to 14. This year about 95,000 students are participating in FLL teams nationwide with 15,000+ teams in over 50 countries. Each year FLL teams embark on an adventurous Challenge based on current, real-world issues. Guided by a team coach and assisted by mentors, the kids build and program a Lego robot that autonomously completes a series of missions on a 4′ x 8′ playing field. Points are scored for completed missions in a 2:30 min time frame, for innovative robot design, team work and a presentation of a research project the team has completed.

FIRST (FIRST – For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, NH, the 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills.

Contact Information:
Harald Guenther
coach-harald@igutech.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SCHNECKSVILLE 5^th GRADERS WIN AWARD IN ROBOTICS CHAMPIONSHIP

Schnecksville, PA, February 1, 2010:  The Schnecksville FIRST Lego League team had another big success Saturday, January 30 at the regional FLL championship tournament (Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, DE).  The team from Schnecksville, known as IGUTECH, was recognized for their outstanding overall performance. The students scored in the top 10% in all four judged categories: Teamwork, Robot Performance, Robot Design and Research Project. In addition, the team achieved the highest average score of all 47 participating teams in robot performance.

Seven of the eight Igutech members are 5^th grade students in the Parkland School District, mostly at Schnecksville Elementary: Sydney Neth, Jackie Katz, Justin Evans, Stewart Albert, Jonathan Snyder, Tilman Guenther, Ferdinand Schall plus Henrik zu Jeddeloh (Emmaus).

“The judges were impressed by the fact that the Igutechs did so well in every category – despite the fact that we are a first-year team and one of the youngest in the competition”, stated Harald Guenther, coach of Schnecksville’s IGUTECH team.  “They all really worked well together to reach this level”.

This year’s challenge was to pick a transportation-related problem and find solutions.  The Igutech Team selected “bike transportation in our community”. A recent school survey was part of their research as well as meetings with North Whitehall Township and PENNDOT officials. The team was judged on its research as well as their performance in a teamwork exercise during the FLL competition. They presented their research as a skit to discuss the bike issue in a mock “Township Meeting”. They were also judged on their robot design, robot programming and finally the performance of the robot on the game field. 

For more information about Schnecksville’s Igutech or sponsorship, contact Harald Guenther at Coach-Harald@igutech.org;

 

About FIRST LEGO League

FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is an exciting and fun global robotics program that ignites an enthusiasm for discovery, science, and technology in kids ages 9 to 14. Each year FLL teams embark on an adventurous Challenge based on current, real-world issues. Guided by a team coach and assisted by mentors, the kids build and program a Lego robot that autonomously completes a series of missions on a 4′ x 8′ (1.2 m x 2.4 m) playing field. Points are scored for completed missions in a 2:30 min time frame, for innovative robot design, team work and a presentation of a research project the team has completed.

FIRST (FIRST – For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, NH, the 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills.

Back (L-r): Jackie Katz, Jonathan Snyder, Henrik zu Jeddeloh, Sydney Neth
Middle (l-r): Coach Harald Guenther, Ferdinand Schall, Justin Evans
Front (l-r): Stewart Albert, Tilman Guenther

Parkland Press from Dec 31, 2009