FIRST LEGO League, taking on Teesside
In my first article in this series, I introduced FIRST® LEGO® League and our outstanding partnership with Sage. In this second part, we dive deeper into this year’s 'Submerged' theme and also meet the organisations that are helping us take FIRST LEGO League to a new audience on Teesside.
Going under!
This season, FIRST® LEGO® League teams are taking on the challenge of the 'Submerged' theme.
More than 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans and there are still many parts that remain unexplored. Technology is now helping us to get to parts of the ocean that were previously unreachable, but there is so much more to learn about marine life, ecosystems and the human impact on our oceans . It's a fascinating theme for the competition!
This video from UK FIRST® LEGO® League delivery partners, The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), introduces the Submerged theme for teams.
In the Robot Game, the mat and all the missions also follow the Submerged theme. Beautiful coral reefs, coastal communities, hidden ship-wrecks hiding treasures and other surprises all await our teams.
For the Innovation Project, teams must identify a problem related to exploring the oceans. This is a purposefully open brief to let teams go in a direction that matches their interests. We're expecting to see projects looking at things like under-sea robots, the discovery of new species, caring for coral reefs and creatures, and undoubtedly, pollution and other human impacts on our oceans.
Whatever they choose to focus on, they must produce an innovative solution to the problem they identify. That might be a new invention, process, system, or campaign, or an improvement to an existing solution. They must show that they have done their research and hopefully contacted some experts through the season. They should get feedback on their ideas and make further improvements, using the engineering design process as a structure for their work
Armatus Oceanic
This year we were lucky enough to be put in touch with Armatus Oceanic by David Dunne from Sunderland Software City. Armatus Oceanic are a world-leading organisation at the cutting edge of ocean research.
They have provided all of our teams with fantastic support. Georgia Wells, former Science Communicator at Armatus, gave a brilliant online question and answer session for our teams. Schools could submit questions ahead of the event or ask them on the day. It was fascinating and inspiring to listen to Georgia speak so passionately as she shared her amazing knowledge of ocean research with everyone. Our teams have also been able to contact Armatus via email as the season has progressed, which has been an hugely valuable resource as they complete their Innovation Projects.
FIRST LEGO League Teesside
One of our goals for this season was to widen our reach with FIRST® LEGO® League and get even more young people involved with this amazing programme. We have been delivering these events to schools in North Tyneside and Northumberland for over a decade, and there are also events running in Newcastle, Sunderland and South Tyneside, but Teesside is an area where there has been no provision for some time.
So, earlier last year, we started to look for a STEM industry partner to help us open the door for schools in Teesside, to provide a fully funded FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge experience. After plenty of research, referrals and networking, we found our way to Johnson Matthey (JM), a global leader in sustainable technology solutions and a company with two bases on Teesside.
JM offer a grant programme called Science and Me - ‘a global community impact programme with a goal to improve access to quality STEM education and opportunities for young people.’
Molly Ward, Group Community Investment Lead explains more:
With climate change, energy supply, and resource scarcity high on the agenda, JM uses their cutting-edge science to enable customers to decarbonise, reduce emissions and improve their sustainability.
JM recognises that science and the work of STEM professionals are essential to addressing the world’s greatest challenges and protecting both people and the planet. To support the next generation of STEM professionals, JM created Science and Me, a grant programme dedicated to supporting STEM education—particularly for those who are often underrepresented in the field.
We were invited to apply for funding through the Science and Me programme, in collaboration with the IET, and were delighted that our bid was successful. It allowed us to purchase LEGO Spike Prime robot kits to loan to schools, cover their competition entry fees and provide training for all the staff running the programme in the schools. Taking away these financial barriers for schools makes a huge difference when recruiting new participants so this funding was vital.
Molly explains why JM wanted to get involved:
With a strong presence in Teesside, JM is committed to enriching the local community’s access to STEM opportunities and inspiring young minds to explore careers in science and technology. Therefore, through this programme, JM is proud to support FIRST LEGO League as it expands into the region for the first time. Our volunteers are eager to participate in the end-of-season tournament, engage with students, and witness firsthand the creativity and hard work they’ve put into their projects.
23 JM volunteers will be joining us on Friday 21st March for the Teesside regional tournament. They will be taking on the roles of judges and referees for the day, to score and evaluate the teams.
A perfect venue
While searching for industry partners for the Teesside event, I was introduced to Jason Faulkner, Deputy Chief Executive at Redcar and Cleveland College. Jason could see the benefits of FIRST® LEGO® League in engaging young people in STEM from an early age. He quickly got behind our project and kindly offered to host the regional tournament for us at the College. They offer a fantastic range of apprenticeship training, A-level, vocational and higher education courses, including a great options for engineering and technical courses with brilliant facilities for hands-on learning.
When I visited the College I saw the obvious STEM connections to FIRST® LEGO® League and superb event spaces that will be the perfect home for our Teesside tournament. The staff team at the College will also be getting involved on the day, helping run the event and supporting the teams.
We’re so grateful for the support of JM and Redcar and Cleveland College and we can’t wait to meet the whole team on tournament day. Hopefully, this year will be the beginning of a long-lasting partnership to grow the programme in the area and provide more STEM opportunities to the young people of Teesside.
Next time
In the final part of this three-part series, we’ll be looking at what comes next for the teams that find success in the regional tournaments, how your organisation can get involved and try out FIRST® LEGO® League robotics for yourself, plus we'll meet our other new industry partner who are supporting us with a second new event, for another new north-east region.
Ready to find out more?
Please get in touch if you are interested in finding out more, or becoming part of our FIRST LEGO League programmes.
