FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is a fascinating and challenging
global robotics program for kids ages 9 to 14 (16 outside of the U.S. and
Canada). FLL inspires young people to be science and technology leaders. Each
year, FLL teams tackle a different Challenge based on current, real-world
issues. (>> Learn
more.) The acronym FIRST represents "For Inspiration and
Recognition of Science and Technology."
For 2007, FIRST LEGO unveiled the "Power
Puzzle" Challenge.
The Challenge called for teams of middle-school students, ages
9 to 14, to use robotics to understand and create solutions for one of today’s
most critical environmental issues: energy management and conservation.
With missions exploring solar panels on houses, hydro-dams, wind turbines and
planting trees, teams had to program their robots to find sustainable
options to meet our planet’s growing energy needs in environmentally
sound ways.
Dominion was the state sponsor for FIRST Lego League
competitions in both Virginia and Connecticut, both held in early Dec. 2007.
In addition, Dominion provided $1,000 for five schools to implement their ideas
-- four in Virginia and one in Connecticut.
Bits and Pieces, Mystic Middle School, Mystic, CT
Students audited the Stonington Community Center and presented their findings
to the board of directors. The $1,000 contribution from Dominion will provide
temperature and occupancy sensors for the vending machines that are always
plugged in, replace fluorescent lighting with more efficient lighting and
add weather stripping to all doors, including garage doors.
Fire Phoenix -- Chesterfield, Va.
Students from three Chesterfield County schools audited a mobile classroom.
They made recommendations to install double-pane windows, CFL's and a programmable
thermostat to save energy. They plan to make this a model mobile classroom
so that Chesterfield County can implement these changes in 300+ mobile classrooms
throughout the county. View
an article on
the students' presentation to Chesterfield County.
Greenbrier Resourceful Innovations -- Greenbrier
Intermediate, Chesapeake, Va.
Students performed energy audits on Friday evenings and found that approximately
50 computers were being left on during the entire weekend. They also found
many cases of the teachers placing wet paper towels on the thermostat to
'trick' the heat into coming on. Their funding will be used to purchase CFL's,
power strips and motion sensor switches.
Green Day, Forestville Elementary -- Great Falls,
Va.
Students implemented a competition entitled "Kill a Watt" where
all 27 classroom teachers will receive an electric usage meter in order to
compete to see which class can conserve the most energy. In addition, each
class is receiving a handbook on how to save energy.
I C NRG, Mountain View Elementary -- Rockingham,
Va.
Elementary students will install a solar panel in their school's courtyard
that will harness the sun's energy so that they can run a laptop computer
when classes are meeting in the courtyard. View
an article about this team
and Dominion's sponsorship.
