Power Hawks RoboticsHosts First Lego League Competition

Contact: Zachary Cohen

Power Hawks Robotics

Phone 443-924-6475

ZCOHEN@AACPS.org

Richard Chapman 202-359-3424 powerhawksrobotics@verizon.net

1498 Lee Way

Edgewater, MD

Power Hawks Robotics

Press Release

Power Hawks Robotics, Inc. hosts FIRST Lego League Competition & Jr. FIRST Lego League Expo.

Maryland Students Pit Robots and STEM Skills against One Another

Edgewater, MD December 12, 2015: On Saturday, December 12, over 200 Maryland middle and elementary school students will descend upon South River High School ready for battle in the eighth annual South County Showdown, a FIRST Lego League Qualifier and Jr. FIRST Lego League Expo. After eight weeks of preparation, 24 teams will come armed with their research, the LEGO Mindstorm robot they have designed, built and programmed, their contribution to the competition-wide service project and all the creative problem solving skills they have to compete in this exciting event. Hosted by the Power Hawks Robotics Team, this exhibition of great young minds at work is free and open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

This year’s challenge, “Trash Trek” calls for teams to research and present robotics technology solutions concerning optimum methods for delivering instruction. The competition is judged in five areas: research and presentation; robot performance; technical mechanics of the robot’s construction; teamwork; and gracious professionalism. While technological savvy is obviously valued, the highest honor will go to the team that best exemplifies the spirit and values of the program.

Junior FIRST® LEGO® League (Jr.FLL®) inspires students ages 6 – 9 to explore the vast fields of science and technology, as well as provide them with skills necessary to compete in today’s competitive society. Once they receive their challenge, the students conduct research to collect the necessary information to design and build their model. Their model must contain at least one motorized part and simple machine. Some teams will choose to increase the complexity of their model by programming it. After they finish constructing their model, the teams will put together a Show Me Poster to outline their research and to explain their model in detail. The teams conclude their season by attending a competition during which they present their model and poster to judges, while also interacting with other teams and engaging in several Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) themed activities.