COTC/Ohio State Newark to host Lego League Robotics Tournament

| December 1, 2014

NEWARK — Central Ohio Technical College (COTC) and The Ohio State University at Newark will host and sponsor an Ohio FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) Robotics Regional Tournament to be held on Saturday, Dec. 6, in the John Gilbert Reese Center. The event will include more than 24 central Ohio teams, including 15 from the Newark/Granville area, making this the largest FLL tournament in the central Ohio region. This marks the fourth consecutive year that an FLL tournament will be hosted on the Newark campus. The public is invited to attend the robot performance portion of the competition, which will be held from 12:30 to 3:55 p.m. in the Reese Center’s Alford Performing Arts Hall. The closing ceremony will be held at 4:15 p.m. in the same location.

FLL is a non-profit collaboration between the LEGO Group and the FIRST organization, an acronym meaning For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. Its multidisciplinary program allows teams of three to 10 children, ages 9 to 14, to solve a real-life scientific problem through a combination of engineering, computer programming, problem solving, research, presentation and teamwork. The program, founded in 1989, is committed to exciting and inspiring children to excel in math and science through a fun yet challenging robotic competition. Each year, more than 200,000 youth participate in FIRST competitions in 50 states and 57 countries, creating more than 17,000 robots. Ohio FLL has been holding tournaments since 2004.

To support this important educational experience, COTC and Ohio State Newark are donating the use of the Reese Center facilities along with campus technical equipment, staff support, printing/copying services and other items to the tournament coordinators, the Granville Robotics Organization.

“In light of the workforce needs in our region, this is an excellent time for our shared campus to host this important organization and its work to nurture children’s interests and abilities in the STEMM [science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine] fields,” stated William L. MacDonald, Ph. D., dean/director at Ohio State Newark.

Central Ohio Technical College and The Ohio State University at Newark have forged an outstanding array of educational opportunities for the central Ohio region and beyond. This partnership is viewed as a model for higher education in the state of Ohio. At COTC, students gain hands-on, applicable experience to begin working in the field or to transfer those credits toward a bachelor’s degree program. Ohio State Newark offers the best of the Big Ten educational experience, access to Ohio State’s 175 major programs, a rich research heritage and academic excellence.

Category: Education

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