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| The Lego Divas from Effingham |
Four GSSI Robotics Teams are headed to the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) state tournament on Jan. 18 at University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.
FLL is a robotics program for 9 to 14 year olds which is designed to get children excited about science and technology, as well as teach them valuable life skills. Teams use a LEGO MINDSTORMS set to build and program an autonomous robot to score points on a themed playing surface. The theme for this year’s tournament was “Nature’s Fury” and concerned natural disasters and how science can help aid prevention and recovery efforts. Along with programming robots, teams were also evaluated on an elaborate research project, as well as how well they demonstrate FLL Core Values, which include teamwork, collective learning, active participation and gracious professionalism. After practicing and preparing for months, teams meet at regional qualifying tournaments to be graded on the three elements, with the top teams advancing to state competition.
On Dec. 7, the Lego Divas from Effingham advanced to the state tournament after competing at the O'Fallon regional qualifier at Carriel Jr. High. They also took home the Project Award for their outstanding research project, the "Heat Buddy" a battery operated heated blanket designed to help stranded motorists.
At the O'Fallon tournament, The Twisters from Troy/Marine completed the tournament with the fourth highest table score, while the Robotic Gems from Washington Park and The Unknowns from Belleville also had good showings during the competition.
On Dec. 14, eleven GSSI Robotics Teams had been scheduled to compete in the McKendree University Regional Qualifier. However, a winter storm and icy road conditions caused the event to be cancelled. As no makeup date could be arranged, eight teams were selected to advance to the state tournament through a lottery system. GSSI teams made up nearly half of the total numbers of teams that were registered for the double tournament and three teams drawn ended up being from GSSI.
The qualifying teams are: TBot907 from Roxana, Lightning Storm from Belleville and G4S4 from Ozark.
Other GSSI teams who were scheduled for the McKendree regional are: The Tornado Twisters from Albers, Tornado Tech Girls from Pinckneyville, Robo Fury from Godfrey, GIR! Girls Investigating Robots from Staunton, Catastrophic Cadettes from Staunton, The Fireworks from Glen Carbon, The Purple Robot Penguins from O’Fallon and The Shiloh Robo Bears from Shiloh.
"We are so proud of all of our GSSI Robotics Teams and excited that we have four teams competing in the FIRST LEGO League state tournament, " said GSSI's STEM Program Manager Mary Buchanan. "Coaches and girls put countless hours of work into programming their robot, completing their research and practicing their presentation to get ready for FLL tournaments. The girls are learning a lot -- not just about programming and research, but also about persistence, working together and dedication to achieving a goal."
About GSSI's Robotic Program:
In 2009, GSSI began its robotics journey with one robotic team. This year, GSSI is sponsoring 25 Girl Scout robotics teams in three different leagues. Robotics teams are a key component to GSSI’s initiative to get more girls in southern Illinois interested and involved in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Other STEM programming ranges from doing basic chemistry experiments with younger girls to teaching financial literacy during the Girl Scout Cookie Program to introducing older girls to career mentors in engineering and medicine.
“Engaging girls in STEM in exciting, relevant ways is vital,” said GSSI STEM Program Manager Mary Buchanan. “Research shows that many students, especially girls, drift away from STEM around middle school. GSSI provides diverse opportunities to build and reinforce interest in these important fields. As shown by our growth in the number of robotics teams, many girls are searching for ways to stay involved in STEM and we strive to provide them with unique and constructive experiences.”
Girl Scouts has a long history of encouraging girls to participate in STEM. The first STEM badges – the electrician badge and the flyer badge – were introduced in 1913!
Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois serves 14,000 girls and 4,800 adult volunteers in more than 40 counties in southern Illinois. Girl Scouting has inspired more than 50 million girls and women since its founding in 1912. Girl Scouting is focused on providing a premier Girl Scout Leadership Experience for girls in the 21st century, while ensuring the traditions and values that have been core to Girl Scouting since its beginning remain strong and relevant.
