Contact: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Thursday, December 9, 2010

Robot-building students from across Central Kentucky participated in the First Lego League’s regional qualifying tournament, and nearly every team fielded by Fayette County Public Schools will advance to the state tournament Jan. 29 at Western Kentucky University.

In the 2010 Body Forward Challenge, students are exploring the cutting-edge world of biomedical engineering to discover innovative ways to repair injuries, overcome genetic predispositions and maximize the body’s potential. Each challenge has two parts.

In the robot game, teams build and program an autonomous robot using LEGO MINDSTORMS technology to score points in 2½-minute matches on a themed playing field. In the project, teams explore an actual problem for today’s scientists and engineers, develop an innovative solution and share their findings.

FCPS teams advancing to the state competition include:

• JC3-PO, Jessie Clark Middle, (Nathan Allen, Jonah Andreatta, Benjamin Bossert, William Bossert, Alex Brinkhorst, Ben Howell, Drew Norby, Seth Rogers, Mitchell Slavik, Katie Woods and Jared Young), robot innovation and robot performance award;
• Denominators, LTMS and Dixie, (Ryan Norton, Cody Leslie, Alec Baron, Kylie Russ, Taylore Jordan and Zachary Jordan), best quality project presentation;
• LEGO Cyborg Warriors, Winburn Middle, (Logan Boggess, Jacob Ferguson, Kai Nicholls, Stephen Perry and Rayny Palmer), robot programming award;
• Warriorbots, Winburn Middle, (Ben Gardner, Samuel Springate, Andrew Tapia and Kevin Zhang), robot design award;
• ACE Alumni, Athens-Chilesburg Elementary and Edythe J. Hayes Middle, (Nick Joseph, Lucas Etter, Will Hickey, William Lain, Shane Little, Austin Hocker, Bailey Knight and Ross Boggess), team spirit award;
• Mindstorms, Stonewall Elementary, (Jonathan Browning, Maya Elias, Laney Ruth, Erin Remley, Sophia Carlton, Bryce Lincavage, Bobby Payne, Hossein Zolfaghari, Tyler Ferry and Holden Turner), sportsmanship award.

The RoboPatriots from Veterans Park Elementary, noted for most creative project, are a first alternate for state. The ACE Eaglets from Athens-Chilesburg Elementary, who received the gracious professionalism award, are a second alternate. The Brainbots from Stonewall, noted for their teamwork, also competed in the Dec. 4 regional tournament at the University of Kentucky.

For more information about robotics opportunities, contact FCPS technology resource teacher Leanna Prater.