PRESS RELEASE Dec. 14, 2009
Contact Information: Harald Guenther; coach-harald at igutech.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SCHNECKSVILLE’S IGUTECH TAKES FIRST PLACE AT REGIONAL ROBOTICS COMPETITION
Schnecksville, PA, December 14, 2009: The Schnecksville FIRST Lego League team had a huge success Saturday December 12 in the regional FLL competition at the Conrad School of Science in Wilmington, DE. The team from Schnecksville, known as IGUTECH, won 1st prize in the Teamwork Award category and thus qualified to participate in the next level tournament (Mid-Atlantic Regional on January 30, 2010). Only the first two teams in each of four scoring categories advance (robot design, innovative programming, research project are the others). 36 teams competed in this all-day event, from the Tri State area.
Six of the eight Igutech members are Schnecksville Elementary students Sydney, Jackie, Justin, Stewart, Jonathan, Tilman are all 5th graders at Schnecksville Elementary School, plus Henrik and Ferdinand are also local students.
“I am extremely proud of our team and their accomplishments so far”, stated Harald Guenther, coach of Schnecksville’s IGUTECH team. “As one of, if not the youngest team in the competition, the kids really worked well together to reach this level. While we are excited about our accomplishment, the team is driven to improve and they look forward to the next round,” he added.
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. The team’s IguBot 3.0 scored in the top 10% on all three scoring runs with scores of 255, 265 and 245.
To see pictures of the winning team at the competition, please see www.igutech.org !
The team would like to thank our corporate sponsors, Innovative Photonic Solutions, Roehl Transportation and Weis Markets and also reach out to additional sponsors to offset escalating expenses. For more information about Schnecksville’s Igutech or sponsorship, contact Harald Guenther at Coach-Harald at igutech.org;
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.