ACTC Will Host FIRST LEGO Tournament

Ashland Community and Technical College will host a FIRST LEGO League Regional tournament December 7 at the Technology Drive Campus. The Tournament for the FIVCO area of Kentucky will be the only Regional Tournament site in the northeastern Kentucky area.

FIRST LEGO is a robotics program designed to get youth ages nine to 14 excited about science and technology. Founded in 1989, the non-profit organization now has over 20,000 teams in more than 70 countries. The teams work on projects that include building robots and designing solutions to real-world problems.

We want to encourage more interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, said Dr. Larry Ferguson, ACTC Dean of Resource Development and External Relations. FIRST LEGO also helps youth develop teamwork, critical thinking and problem-solving skills which will be important to them later in life.

The tournament will be open to new and existing teams from throughout the FIVCO region.

Challenge Grants Available to Help Start New Teams

In order to encourage the development of new teams, an anonymous donor has given $10,000 to the ACTC Foundation to establish 10 Challenge Grants.

Local schools or community groups that wish to start a FIRST LEGO League team can apply for a $1,000 challenge grant. The remaining $500-$1000 needed for team materials and activities can then be matched or fundraised by the school or group.

Teams of up to ten children, with at least one adult coach over age 18, can be associated with a new or pre-existing club, organization or homeschooled group. The coach does not need a background in engineering or technology just an interest in helping students succeed. ACTC will offer workshops this fall to help build and coach FIRST LEGO teams.

Applications for a Challenge Grant will be accepted August 1 to August 30 by the ACTC Advancement Office.

An overview of FIRST LEGO and the Challenge Grant is available on the web at: http://www.ashland.kctcs.edu/FLL_Tournament.aspx. For more information, contact Karen Coburn, ACTC Community Education Coordinator, 606-326-2129 or email: Karen.coburn@kctcs.edu.