Area Students to Participate in LEGO Robotics Challenge on Dec. 8

SPRINGFIELD — Twenty-four student teams wll participate the FIRST LEGO League Into Orbit Challenge at a regional competition at Western New England University on Saturday, Dec. 8.

From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the university’s Alumni Healthful Living Center, teams of elementary- and middle-school students from Agawam, Brookfield, Chicopee, Greenfield, Holyoke, Longmeadow, Northampton, South Hadley, Springfield, West Springfield, Westhampton, and Wilbraham will take part in the competition.

Students will put LEGO robots that they have programmed through a series of challenges, competing for the opportunity to advance to the championship competition later this month. 

The FIRST LEGO League challenges kids to think like scientists and engineers. During the Into Orbit season, teams choose real-world problems to solve and then build, test, and program an autonomous robot using LEGO Mindstorms technology to solve a set of missions. Throughout their experience, teams will operate under the FIRST signature set of core values, celebrating discovery, teamwork, and gracious professionalism.

At the competition, students will be joined by their professional mentors, sponsors, and family members. Admission is free and open to the public.