FIRST LEGO League WORLD CLASS Qualifier Dates

As we are starting to gear up for the 2014 WORLD CLASS challenge for FIRST LEGO League (FLL), the dates for this season’s qualifier are starting to be finalized. Here are the dates for Nebraska’s FLL qualifiers for the 2014-2015 year for all coaches, teams and our AWESOME volunteers to pencil in. Please note, all dates are subject to change and some are still tentative.

12/6/14 – Omaha, NE

12/13/14 – Omaha, NE Metro Area

1/10/15 – Sidney, NE

1/17/15 – Kearney, NE 

1/17/15 – Nebraska City, NE

1/24/15 – South Sioux City, NE
2/21/15 – Nebraska FLL Championship 

If you have any questions regarding registration or how to start a FLL team in Nebraska, please contact me via email or phone.

Hope everyone is ready for an exciting WORLD CLASS season!

Kate Pittack

University of Nebraska Extension

4-H Youth Development – Educational Engagement Coordinator

114 Ag Hall

PO Box 830700

Lincoln, NE 68583-0700

office: 402-472-9023 | fax: 402-472-9024

e-mail: kpittack2@unl.edu

FTC Rookie Team Registration Grants Available!

Attention all new FIRST Tech Challenge teams! 

FIRST has just announced a 2014-2015 FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Rookie Grant. This grant is available for teams who have never participated in FTC before. The grant will help your team cover the costs of starting a basic teams ($275). This funding is limited and all the grants are awarded on through a need-based application process. By getting involved in FTC, students compete against other teams in a head-to-head robot challenge. Youth will master STEm skills, learn life skills such as teamwork, grow as students in STEM, and qualify for over 13.5 million dollars in scholarships available to FIRST students.

This grant is a great opportunity for first year teams and can help cut out some of the costs involved with FTC. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this rookie grant or how to start an FTC team in Nebraska. More information can also be found at http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/ftc/grow

Thanks!

Bailey Lindgren
AmeriCorps VISTA for FIRST; Lincoln, NE
(402) 472-7523
blindgren@usfirst.org

2014-2015 Challenge Teasers

2014 FIRST LEGO League Challenge: WORLD CLASS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ9eL0hUCa4

Here is a teaser from HQ for this upcoming season challenge. The release date will officially be August 26th. Any ideas about what the theme will entail or what we will be working to solve?!

2014-2015 FIRST Tech Challenge

As for FIRST Tech Challenge, all that has been released is that the 2014-2015 challenge will be a water game!

Long-time designer, Michael Coleman, said, "The field will contain a number of exciting elements we've never tried before. We'll basically have two to three kiddie-pools inside the twelve-foot perimeter, ramps, floats and beach balls." Teams will have to really stretch their imagination and come up with innovative ideas in order to water-proof the robots.

What are you most excited for about the upcoming 2014 season and how is your team preparing this summer? We would love to hear!

FLL & FTC Registration!

Welcome to the Nebraska FIRST blog! This page will have tons of information regarding Nebraska Jr. FLL, FLL and FTC current news. Make sure to subscribe to be able to stay updated!

FTC registration has recently opened as of May 14^th! Make sure to register your team for the 2014 season. If you are an older FLL team or have students that have graduated out of the program, FTC is a great option as the next step in robotics. Teams are made up of students 7-12th grade and involves autonomous and remote-controlled robotics in a fast-pace, sports-like competition. The required costs to become a team include: $275 for registration, $85 for Samantha WiFI module, $140 for the NXT base set, $199-665 Tetrix competition set and event registration. FIRST offers rookie grants to new teams, which pays for the $275 registration fee. These grants are given out on a first-come, first-serve basis, so register soon to qualify for these!

FLL registration has also recently opened, as of May 5^th! The expected close date for FLL is around the end of August to mid September. You do not have to have the team roster finalized to register; if you know your school or organization will participating, sign up now! Once registration is paid for & 2 adult background checks are completed, teams will then be able to buy their field set up kit and get ready for an exciting season!

We are all looking forward to this upcoming season and seeing the amazing work that your teams create. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding registration or about the 2014 season.

Also, be sure to follow our twitter account @NebraskaFLL 

Thanks!

Bailey Lindgren
AmeriCorps VISTA for FIRST; Lincoln, NE
(402) 472-7523
blindgren@usfirst.org