Latest news from Loughborough University
19 January 2009 - PR 09/05
LEGO® final comes to Loughborough
Engineers of the future will be showcased at Loughborough University this Saturday (24 January) when the UK Finals of the First LEGO® League are held on campus.
The competition will involve 24 teams from across the UK who have all battled through regional heats to get to the showpiece event this weekend.
First LEGO® League is an international programme for school pupils aged nine to 16 that combines a hands-on interactive robotics programme using LEGO® programmable bricks.
The title of this year’s theme is ‘Climate Connections’, with teams, which can have up to ten members, performing research into how climate change affects their local community. Their teamwork, problem solving skills and analytical thinking will then be demonstrated to the judges through a presentation.
As part of the project, teams will produce individually-designed robots using LEGO® MINDSTORM equipment, which will be put through their paces in a sports-like atmosphere.
Loughborough University will be continuing its links with LEGO® later in the year when, through the Faculty of Engineering, it will again be running a competition with a number of local schools to try and get more children involved in science, technology and engineering.
For more details on both competitions, please contact Lesley Davis on L.Davis@lboro.ac.uk
– Ends –
For all media enquiries contact:
Jo Lumani
Senior PR Officer
Loughborough University
T: 01509 228697
E: J.P.Lumani@lboro.ac.uk
Notes for editors:
FILMING / PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: If any media would like
to attend the UK Final of the First LEGO® League, please contact Jo Lumani.
Loughborough is one of the country’s leading
universities, with an international reputation for excellence in teaching
and research, strong links with industry and unrivalled sporting achievement.
It was awarded the coveted Sunday Times University of the Year 2008-09
title, and is consistently ranked in the top fifteen of UK universities
in national newspaper league tables. In the 2008 National Student Survey,
Loughborough was voted one of the top five universities in the UK, with
22 out of 30 of its subject areas being ranked in the top ten for overall
satisfaction. It was named winner of the 2006 and 2007 Times Higher
award for the UK’s Best Student Experience and winner of the 2007
award for Outstanding Support for Overseas Students. In recognition
of its contribution to the sector, the University has been awarded six
Queen's Anniversary Prizes – an achievement bettered by no other
institution.
It is a member of the esteemed 1994 Group – a set of internationally
recognised, research-intensive universities – and has a reputation
for the relevance of its work. Its degree programmes are highly regarded
by professional institutions and businesses, and its graduates are consistently
targeted by the UK’s top recruiters.
Loughborough is also the UK’s premier university for sport. It
has perhaps the best integrated sports development environment in the
world and is home to some of the country’s leading coaches, sports
scientists and support staff. It also has the country’s largest
concentration of world-class training facilities across a wide range
of sports.