Thirty-eight teams representing 300 grade school students from across Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent will land with their LEGO® robots at St. Clair College’s Strasser Student Life Centre this weekend December 7-8th for the annual Windsor-Essex FIRST Lego League Tournament.

Every year, FIRST LEGO League releases a Challenge, which is based on a real-world scientific topic.

In the past, challenges have been based on topics such as nanotechnology, climate, quality of life for the handicapped population, and transportation. This year’s challenge is called CITY SHAPER Challenge where students will create new, innovative solutions to help shape an optimal future, using environment and modern-day tools and technology to make it last. 

The public is encouraged to attend Saturday – 10:00am to 4:30pm – and Sunday- 10:00am to 4:30pm – at St. Clair College where admission is FREE.

This year’s competition will welcome Ken Acton and Bill Rawlings, Professors in the Architectural Technology department at St. Clair College on Saturday, December 7th at 11:30am and Jason Grossi, Professor in Visual Arts and the Build Environment (VABE) at the University of Windsor on Sunday, December 8th at 11:30am.

For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) is supported by over 4,000 companies worldwide including over half of all FORTUNE 500 companies such as Boeing, Bombardier, FCA and Google.

Gold Sponsor St. Clair College is among dozens of regional industry partners and organizations – including the University of Windsor and CenterLine (Windsor) Ltd – that are supporting the tournament and supporting local teams to provide young people with paths to promising careers in science and technology.

“St. Clair has always been an enthusiastic supporter of FIRST Robotics because the program so closely reflects our educational philosophy,” said St. Clair College President Patti France. “Hands-on, task-oriented learning fully meshes theoretical knowledge and practical skills. That defines both the atmosphere of FIRST Robotics competition and the student experience at St. Clair.”

Students who participate in FIRST are twice as likely to attend university and college and twice as likely to major in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The 2019-2020 FIRST Lego League season is projected to include 39,000 teams, 312,000 students representing 100+ countries.

“FIRST Lego League is for many of these students, their very first exposure to many new learning experiences, and that is not limited to programming and building a robot, but also for many, it’s their first opportunity to work on a large team project, complete independent research, and develop and deliver a presentation.” says Darryl Danelon, Tournament Director and Member of Windsor-Essex FIRST. “Exposing students to these beneficial skills at a young age and wrapping it in a fun Lego themed package is the perfect formula to inspire these young minds.”

WHEN: December 7-8, 2019 starting 10:00am
WHERE: Strasser Student Life Centre @ St. Clair College
WHO: 300 grade school students from 37 teams and spectators each day 

About Windsor-Essex FIRST Windsor-Essex FIRST is a volunteer group that acts as a the regional arm of FIRST Canada and works year round to promote FIRST in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent. Thanks to the effort and dedication of hundreds of volunteers – Windsor-Essex FIRST also coordinates