AEDC employee coaches LEGO® League teams

  • Published
  • By Shawn Jacobs
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  These aren't your father's LEGOs®, but your father probably didn't participate in LEGO League.

FIRST® LEGO League (FLL®) is a robotics program for ages 9-14, which is designed to get children excited about science and technology and teach them valuable employment and life skills. FIRST represents the United States Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.

Mark Andrews, an Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) maintenance engineer, has coached LEGO League teams consisting of sixth-, seventh- and eighth- graders at South Middle School in Cowan for four years. This year, the school has expanded to two teams, which are gearing up for regional and state competition.

Every September, FLL releases a Challenge, which is based on a real-world scientific topic. Each Challenge has two parts: the Robot Game and the Project. Teams of up to 10 children, with one adult coach, participate in the Challenge by programming an autonomous LEGO robot to score points on a themed playing field (Robot Game) and developing a solution to a problem they have identified (Project).

Andrews coaches both of the teams in the Robot Game - while his wife, Jean Ann Andrews, the school librarian, and Karen Mathews, a teacher - coach students in developing a skit for the Project. The theme of this year's Challenge is "The Food Factor" and includes the whole process, from harvesting to processing to delivering to supermarkets to picking up food and keeping it fresh.

Andrews, of Center Grove, has worked at AEDC for 20 years. He said the school was introduced to the LEGO League by the Tullahoma Chapter of the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers (TSPE).

"For the first two years, the teams were relatively small and they [TSPE] supplied us with a robot," Andrews said. "ATA [Aerospace Testing Alliance, AEDC's operating contractor] donated money this past year and we were able to buy a second robot, which is allowing us to have two teams this year. It [having two teams] is a lot more challenging than I thought it would be originally."

The Food Factor Robot Game includes tables with LEGO pieces to represent bacteria, which must be knocked off the table. It also has fish that must be brought back to "base" and a truck with produce that must be brought to base. Other tasks include moving a corn harvester and knocking corn out of the hopper in the back and other challenges. Teams may choose the tasks they want to accomplish, but they must be completed in an allotted time.

"First off, they have to determine what task they want to do, how the task is going to be done and design and implement the tool that's going to attach to the robot to accomplish the task," Andrews said. "Then you have to program the robot and you can't program it from beginning to end; one step at a time is the way that I've taught them.

"Sometimes it's hard to restrain kids because they want to get the whole thing done at one time, but [with] this type of programming you're best off if you just do one step at a time. It's the engineering process."

Andrews said the Project portion of the Challenge involves research by the students.

"They have to present a skit to judges," he said. "They talk about how [the food process] happens, how food can get contaminated and how to take precautions to prevent it from being contaminated. They get evaluated by how well they work together as a team."

Last year, South Middle School took fifth place in the state competition out of approximately 65 teams at their level, which Andrews said surprised him.

"We didn't think we did nearly that well," he said. "We were happy with how
we did."

South Middle School Principal Sandra Stewart said LEGO League can benefit students in a number of ways.

"Students in LEGO League learn leadership and teamwork skills as they research and apply solutions related to math, science, engineering and technology," she said. "The LEGO League provides an excellent opportunity for students to develop their interests and knowledge in these areas."

Stewart said the school is fortunate that Andrews volunteers to coach the robot teams.

"His expertise in the sciences and engineering has provided invaluable experiences for our students," she said. "We consider him an important member of our team at South Middle School."

Stewart also thanked ATA for the recent donation, which allowed the purchase of a new robot.

"With the purchase of the new robot, we will be able to have two teams representing South Middle School in regional and state competitions," she explained. "The robot will also be used by students in science classes."

Andrews said Deda Cunningham, wife of ATA Property Administrator Mike Cunningham, was instrumental in getting the LEGO League team established at the school.

"Deda, in all honesty, was probably responsible for getting it out at South Middle School the first year it was there," he said. "She wanted a little help, so I went out there and helped and basically it has been going on from that time frame.

"Every year I learn more and the more that I learn, the better [I] can coach the team and pass ideas on to them. You learn from watching other teams. One reason that our team has had the success that we have is that we don't start with a new coach every two years. We're building on experience and it's good for the overall program."

Regional competition among schools in five area counties begins Nov. 19 at East Middle School in Tullahoma. State competition is Dec. 10 in Cookeville.