Return of Cambridge robotics competition a positive step for STEM

Looking for your next technology, science or engineering role? Maybe you’re just starting out in your career? Polytec is here to help you find the perfect position for you. Browse our current vacancies now >>> https://www.polytec.co.uk/jobs/ 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.

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