Record Attendance Expected at 2007 FIRST LEGO Tournament

Central Virginia Community College

Record Attendance Expected at 2007 FIRST LEGO Tournament in Lynchburg

Lynchburg, VA /Media Release/ -- CVCC, in partnership with the Region 2000 Technology Council and Holy Cross Regional Catholic School, is sponsoring a regional FIRST LEGO^® League Robotics Competition to be held at Holy Cross School, Saturday, November 17. A record 24 teams of 9 to 14 year olds are expected to compete in this year’s challenge entitled “Power Puzzle.”

FIRST LEGO League is an international program for elementary and middle school students created in a partnership between FIRST and The LEGO Group in 1998. Each September, FIRST LEGO League announces the annual challenge to teams, which engages them in authentic scientific research and hands-on robotic design. Using LEGO Mindstorms^®technologies and LEGO play materials, children work alongside adult mentors to design, build, and program robots to solve real world challenges. After eight intensive weeks, the competition season culminates at high-energy, sports-like tournaments.

For 2007, FIRST LEGO League has gone “green” by using robotics to understand and create solutions for one of today’s most critical environmental issues: energy management conservation. FIRST collaborated with the Gulf Coast Combined Heat and Power Application Center, the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of South Carolina, and the Second Hill Group, an independent consultant that specializes in issues including energy, environment and green design, to create a theme and Challenge missions that are reflective of today’s real-world issues,

“The environment is a huge concern for everyone, including kids,” said Dean Kamen, FIRST founder. “Giving them a hands-on experience that allows them to use their imagination and creativity in combination with science and technology to solve a real-world problem is empowering.”

LEGO Group Vice President Jens Maibom adds, “FIRST LEGO league so brilliantly captures the natural curiosity and creativity of youth, and combines it with real-world issues and research and teamwork activities that put children in a position of identifying and creating innovative solutions to big problems.”

CVCC sponsors the tournament, in part, through a grant provided by the National Science Foundation. “Last year’s exciting competition among 16 teams inspired the leap to 24 for the 2007 event,” says Stan Shoun, CVCC Vice president for Workforce Development and Continuing Education. The Lynchburg tournament is currently the second largest regional competition in the Commonwealth. Winners will go on to participate in a statewide competition in Harrisonburg on December 8-9.

Currently in its tenth year, FIRST LEGO league anticipates its biggest season ever, with more than 10,000 teams in 38 countries competing in hundreds of qualifying events and Championship Tournaments. More than 100,000 students will compete for honors and recognition. Teams will also have the opportunity to participate at the FIRST LEGO League World Festival, to be held in conjunction with the FIRST Championship, April 17-19 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.

The robot competition portion of the tournament is open to the public, taking place from 9:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Holy Cross Regional Catholic School. There will be signs in the lobby directing visitors to the gymnasium where the competition is being held.

Attendees will also be treated to a demonstration by the E.C. Glass High School FIRST Robotics Team #600 at 11:30 a.m. The team consists of approximately 20 students who are working with engineers and technicians from co-sponsors AREVA NP and M/A-COM as well as OMNITECH Engineering and Manufacturing in the design, building, and performance of a robot. Their robot will be entered into the NASA Langley – VCU College of Engineering – FIRST Regional Robotics competition to be held in Richmond next spring.

For further information on the FIRST LEGO League Robotics Competition contact Barbara Bragg at (434) 832-7672 or braggb@cvcc.vccs.edu.

http://www.firstlegoleague.org/default.aspx?pid=70

http://www.firstlegoleague.org/

Release Date: 9:00 AM (EDT) 11/07/07

Release Number: 0701107.legotournament

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Media Contact:

Kennan J. Meyer

Coordinator, Public Relations and Marketing

Central Virginia Community College

(434) 832-7609

meyerk@cvcc.vccs.edu

A Member Institution of the Virginia Community College System.