local lego® league winners head for nationals
TRANSCRIPT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Jennifer Whitus, Communications Manager
LOCAL LEGO® LEAGUE WINNERS HEAD FOR NATIONALSMuseum of Nature & Science Crowns Texas’ Robotics Racing Champions
DALLAS, Texas (February 1, 2011) – A group of sixth and seventh graders known
as the “Texarkana College Bionic Bulldogs” were declared the overall tournament
winners of the 2010 North Texas FIRST LEGO® League by the Museum of Nature &
Science, at the Finals Tournament held Saturday, January 29.
The Bionic Bulldogs beat out more than 100 other teams during several rounds of
competition to win Saturday’s grand prize. The youth will head to LEGOLAND®,
California to compete in the national FIRST LEGO® League Championship Tournament
May 21-22.
Designed to introduce the fundamentals of engineering, the FIRST LEGO® League
allows teams of students to race robots they’ve built from LEGO® blocks and
programmed themselves. The robots are put through obstacle courses and challenged
with various tasks. The students then square off in a battle of wits by completing and
presenting an accompanying research project.
The 2010 North Texas FIRST LEGO® League final round was presented by Lockheed
Martin. Supporting sponsors included ExxonMobil, Raytheon, Rockwell Collins and the
Greater Texas Foundation. The theme of this year’s competition was “Body Forward,”
for which the children identified and solved a problem that currently exists within the
medical industry. Preliminary rounds in the fall whittled 125 teams down to the final 52.
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LEGO® Winners, Page 2
“The FLL 2010 regional championship was a huge success!” declared Stacey
Bucklin, family and adult programs manager for the Museum of Nature & Science. “All
52 Texas teams competed with grace and enthusiasm. It was inspiring to watch as each
team put their all in to each and every round of competition.”
Under the Museum’s direction, the contest has grown from 20 teams to 125 teams in
the three years it’s been held in North Texas. The FIRST mission statement goes hand-
in-hand with MNS’ mission statement of “inspiring minds through nature and science”
and aligns with the Museum’s goal to encourage youth to pursue careers in math and
science.
The Bionic Bulldogs won the overall first place, but they weren’t the only winners.
Teams were judged and earned trophies in the categories of teamwork, robot design and
programming, research project, judges’ award and team spirit.
“Long hours, hard work, and a commitment to excellence earned the Texarkana
Bulldogs their second FLL win,” said Bulldogs Coach Kathleen White. “The members
of this team sacrificed weekends and holidays to make these experiences the successes
they were. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with a group of such dedicated
students and know they will represent North Texas proudly at the US and Canadian FLL
Championships at LEGOLAND® in San Diego.”
Earning trophies for overall championship along with the first-place Bulldogs were
the “Hiper Geeks,” who finished second in the overall competition, and the LEGO®
Lighninz” who won third. The Judges’ Award went to the Pecan Creek Robo-Bears and
the Owldroids won the trophy for Team Spirit.
Other teams who brought home LEGO® trophies include:
Teamwork
First Place – Summit International Preparatory
Second Place – Robo Rulers
Third Place – Rann Eagles
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LEGO® Winners, Page 3
Robot Design and Programming
First Place – XS NRG (Excess Energy)
Second Place – Robot Fighting Cancer Cells
Third Place – Iron Reign
Research Project
First Place – Robo Claws
Second Place – Robo Sapiens
Third Place – Hartman Eaglesbots
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About the Museum of Nature & ScienceThe Museum of Nature & Science – the result of a unique merger in 2006 between the Dallas Museum of Natural History, The Science Place and the Dallas Children's Museum – is an AAM- accredited non-profit educational organization located in Dallas's Fair Park. In support of its mission to inspire minds through nature and science, the museum delivers exciting, engaging and innovative visitor experiences through its education, exhibition, and research and collections programming for children, students, teachers, families and life-long learners. The facility also includes the TI Founders IMAX® Theater and a cutting-edge digital planetarium. The Museum of Nature & Science is supported in part by funds from the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, the Texas Commission on the Arts and HP. The Museum of Nature & Science also is building a new $185-million museum on a 4.7-acre site in Victory Park to complement the Fair Park facilities. To learn more about the Museum of Nature & Science, please visit natureandscience.org.