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Techno-sAVvy Girl Scouts Rock Robotics Competition

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Contributed by: Brenna Humann on 11/17/2008

Story submitted by Girl Scout Cadette Ceilidh Roughton and Girl Scout Leader Heidie Rigert

LANCASTER - Robotics is cool! That was the message of the rock-n-roll atmosphere surrounding the third annual High Desert First LEGO League tournament, held at Lancaster High School on Saturday, Nov. 8. Nearly 30 robotics teams with enthusiastic members aged 9 to14 competed at the event hosted by Lancaster High School's Eagle Robotics Team.
Participants from all over the Antelope Valley began arriving at Lancaster High School as early as 7:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. During the day, each group competed in six robot matches and gave an oral presentation about climate concerns. They also participated in several interviews with tournament officials, answering questions about the design of their robot and their work as a team throughout the season.
By mid-afternoon, the gym was packed with spectators and excitement as the four top-ranking teams moved on to a nerve-wracking playoff. After four intense rounds of matches, the top three robotics winners were announced. The third place robotics trophy was awarded to Team sAVvy (the AV's all-Girl Scout robotics team), second place to the Icebergs, and first place to the Pico Canyon Robo-Huskies. The Joe Walker Science Jets won the overall Tournament Championship. Team sAVvy also was awarded the Judge's Award in special recognition for their unique efforts and performance.
Team sAVvy, a Girl Scout "special interest group" (similar in function to a traditional troop), was conceived by Cadette Girl Scout Aisha Rigert last year, as part of her efforts to earn her Girl Scout Silver Award. Girl Scout members include Regan Basham, Ceildih Roughton, Aisha Rigert, Jada Ward, Mandy Burns and Marissa Danta.
Since September 5th, sAVvy has been preparing for the Lancaster tournament by programming their LEGO robot to perform tasks simulating environmental projects, such as "ice core drilling," "levee building," and "house insulating." They also researched and developed solutions to drought issues around the world, and worked their ideas into a clever presentation for the tournament judges. Team sAVVy participates in robotics tournaments organized by the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) LEGO League.
FIRST LEGO League (FLL) was founded in 1989 to spark the interest of young people in science and technology. The founder, Dean Kamen, wanted to engage children ages 9 to14 in problem solving, research, and engineering. The core values of the program include teamwork, friendly sportsmanship, learning and community involvement.
"We need to show children that it's more fun to design and create a video game than it is to play one," says Kamen. Since its beginning, FIRST has had a positive impact on students and academic communities. "In FIRST LEGO League, children discover career possibilities and learn to make positive contributions to society," Kamen has said.
Each year, a new FLL Challenge is released during the first week of September, giving teams about 10 weeks to prepare for the upcoming competitions. Each annual challenge has two parts: The project and the robot game. Each team must build and program a robot to finish as many pre-designed missions as possible, research and think of a solution to a given problem, and come up with a creative way to explain their solution to the judges.
This year's theme, "Climate Connections," asks the teams to explore and solve global climate concerns. Teams must present a unique and innovative solution to a climate problem and name multiple places throughout the world where that solution could be implemented. In keeping with the theme, the robotic missions themselves are designed to show participants that helping the environment can be simple and fun in real life - just like on the competition floor.
An FLL tournament is like a sporting event. Teams from the region gather together for an energy-charged event, with referees who supervise and score the robotics portion, and judges who review the project presentation. Teams support each other with lots of cheering and excitement, and everyone grows in their knowledge and appreciation of robotics.
Team sAVvy will next compete in the Glendale Qualifying Tournament at Roosevelt Middle School on Saturday, November 15th. Teams that qualify at this tournament will be eligible to compete in the Southern California FLL Championship or Los Angeles Region FLL Championship tournaments held at LEGOLAND in Carlsbad, California, on December 6 and 7.
Team sAVvy is funded by a generous donation from SETLA (Scientists, Engineers, and Technicians Leadership Association). SETLA has provided for all of sAVvy's needs including equipment, registration and tournament fees, and T-shirts for each Girl Scout team member. Team sAVvy is guided by Girl Scout leaders Heidie Rigert, Renee Pasman, and Vanessa Hartenstine. Renee and Vanessa not only bring their time and enthusiasm to the team but their expertise as Lockheed Martin engineers and SETLA members. Global sponsors of FLL include LEGO, Rockwell Automation, National Instruments, Vestas, and 3M.
For details on this and other Girl Scouting programs call the Antelope Valley Service Center at (661) 723-1230. Membership is only $10 and is open year-round!

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