More than 450 students from across the Commonwealth will converge upon Northern Kentucky University on Saturday to find out if they have what it takes to build the best robot in the state.
NKU will again host the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) state championship for students aged 9 to 14 from across Kentucky.
The event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Sat., Feb. 4., largely in Regents Hall.
Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jenean M. Hampton as the keynote speaker. Hampton holds degrees in industrial engineering and business, in addition to her experiences as a computer systems officer in the U.S. Air Force.
Students will also hear remarks from NKU President Geoffrey S. Mearns.
The competition includes a two-part challenge based upon a real-world scientific topic. This year’s theme is “Animal Allies”, exploring how humans and animals interact in their environments. Forty-eight teams of up to 10 members each are expected to participate.
Students will program an autonomous robot to score points on a themed playing field, and then will develop a solution to a problem they have identified. The competition is guided by FIRST LEGO league core values. The robot games will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 4:20 p.m.
The event is open to the public, and there is no admission charge. Parking is available in the Kenton Drive Garage for $4.
The event is sponsored by NKU’s College of Arts and Sciences, College of Informatics, College of Education and Human Services, and Center for Integrative Natural Science and Mathematics (CINSAM) as well as the Duke Energy Foundation, which is the title sponsor. The Northern Kentucky Education Council is a community partner on the event.
For more information, visit cinsam.nku.edu.