Return of Cambridge robotics competition a positive step for STEM

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The FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge – a global science and technology tournament delivered by The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) – is now accepting entries from interested parties.

Sponsored by Qualcomm, the FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge will see 17 teams of students aged 9–16 from disadvantaged areas across Cambridgeshire get the chance to apply their STEM skills to build and program a LEGO® robot between now and January, before competing in an exciting, mission-based robotics game.

For the first time since the pandemic, the competition will culminate in the in-person challenge at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering on Tuesday 17 January 2023.

The theme for this year’s FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge is ‘Superpowered’. Drawing on their creativity and research skills to tackle the theme of energy, teams are required to work on an innovation project that offers a solution to improve how energy can be stored, used, and transferred.

Going beyond just science and mathematics, the students are also encouraged to embody a range of important values throughout the season – from inclusion and discovery to fun and impact – which they will be asked to demonstrate when they present their research solution and robot design to a panel of industry judges at the tournament.

James Chapman, Vice President and General Manager, Voice/Music/Wearables, Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd., commented: “We’re very much looking forward to welcoming the full-scale return of the FIRST® LEGO® League tournament to Cambridge, following a few seasons where we were forced to run some elements virtually. Qualcomm continues to sponsor the event to ensure that a lack of access to equipment is not a barrier for talented young individuals who wish to enter the tournament.”

“This tournament allows students to develop skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) while competing as a team and, most importantly, having fun. This is great preparation for careers in STEM industries.”

For more information on how to register a team please visit: https://education.theiet.org/first-lego-league-programmes/register/ or email elle.roberts-nissen@consciouscomms.com for information on sponsored places.