Local Students are Part of Statewide FIRST LEGO League Challenge;
Participation Made Possible by Rahall Transportation Institute (RTI)
and NASA Grant
Linda Hamilton, Pre-K-12 Outreach Coordinator
for the Nick J. Rahall, II Appalachian Transportation Institute�s (RTI)
and Marshall University mathematics instructor, is utilizing a grant from
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and assistance
from RTI to mentor 10 teams of students from local elementary and middle
schools who are competing in West Virginia�s FIRST LEGO League�s No Limits
2004 Challenge.
FIRST LEGO League is a statewide, national,
and international competition that involves the planning, building, and
programming of LEGO robots to complete a set of fun challenges. This year�s
competition theme, No Limits, draws attention to helping individuals with
differing abilities to live life to the fullest.
According to FIRST LEGO League�s website,
�Many people have difficulty moving or walking, or trouble reading a distant
sign or climbing stairs. In No Limits, FLL teams will find ways to help
people with different levels of physical ability.�
Participating students have been practicing
at their schools throughout the week and at Marshall�s Morrow Library Atrium
on Saturdays in preparation of the West Virginia FIRST LEGO League tournament.
This competition takes place December 11, 2004, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on
the campus of West Virginia University-Parkersburg.
Sharon Simon, a team coach and teacher at
Davis Creek Elementary School, said, �My fifth grade students learn to
master Math, Science and Language Arts Content Standards while participating
in the FLL No Limits Challenge for 2004. They also obtain teamwork and
problem solving skills that are reflections of real life. My students
are very excited about preparing for the competition in Parkersburg.�
Congressman Nick J. Rahall, II applauded this
innovative effort commenting, "Engineering and mathematics are important
building blocks of our future economy. The LEGO program at the Rahall
Transportation Institute is building a solid science and math foundation
for our youth one block at a time."
Please contact Linda Hamilton, Pre-K-12 Outreach Instructor, at (304)
696-7166 or hamilton@marshall.edu, or Barbara Roberts, Program Coordinator,
at (304) 696-7103, robertsb@marshall.edu, for more information.
�Building Jobs through Transportation�
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