Stage is set for LEGO robot creatures to do battle in Coventry

School pupils from across the West Midlands will pit their science and technology skills against each other in a robot battle tomorrow.

Youngsters aged 9 to 16 will take part in the FIRST® LEGO® league being held at Coventry University on Tuesday, 20 December.

Designed to encourage children to become more involved with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects, the event will see students from 11 schools battle it out to make the UK finals.

Launched in 1988 by FIRST® (For Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology) and toy manufacturer LEGO, the FIRST® LEGO® event is supported by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

Held on the university campus for the third year running, the theme for this year’s event is ‘Animal Allies’, challenging competitors to look at the world through an animal’s eyes.

Students will be tasked with designing and then building a robot using a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® and then taking it through a series of challenges.

Winners from the event will make it through to the UK and Ireland final in February 2017.

Patricia Ashman, Associate Head of School for Mechanical, Aerospace and Automotive at Coventry University, said:

We’re honoured to once again host the competition and help to inspire more young people to take an interest in STEM subjects while having fun.

“There’s always a great sense of friendly competition and rivalry between the teams. This is a great way of showing how diverse STEM subjects are, science isn’t just about test tubes and maths isn’t just about multiplication, both can be used to solve exciting problems.”

For further press information, please contact Kelly Baker-Adams, Press Officer, Coventry University, on 024 7765 9752 or email kelly.baker-adams@coventry.ac.uk.

Notes to editors:

• The IET is one of the world’s largest engineering institutions with over 163,000 members in 127 countries. It is also the most interdisciplinary – to reflect the increasingly diverse nature of engineering in the 21st century. Energy, transport, manufacturing, information and communications, and the built environment: the IET covers them all.
• The IET is working to engineer a better world by inspiring, informing and influencing our members, engineers and technicians, and all those who are touched by, or touch, the work of engineers.
• We want to build the profile of engineering and change out-dated perceptions about engineering in order to tackle the skills gap. This includes encouraging more women to become engineers and growing the number of engineering apprentices.
• For more information, visit www.firstlegoleague.co.uk  
• Follow the IET on Twitter
• FIRST LEGO League, Mindstorms and FLL are registered trademarks.

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