On Saturday Febuary 7th, one of our mentored FLL teams went to the state championship. At this event hosted by our sponsor, Iowa State University, they were able to compete and present for a chance at nationals. Once they were done competing, we took them next door for a tour of our workspace and a chance to see our in-progress robot while we worked. This was very fun for both our team members and our FLL team, The Dino Nuggies!
On December 5th, Team Neutrino organized a FLL scrimmage at Ames Middle School for local FLL teams preparing for the regional competition the following day. FTC Team Photon #18050 also volunteered alongside Team Neutrino to ensure a smooth schedule.
Judges were stationed in the bleachers, asking questions and listening to the FLL teams’ research and robot presentations. After the judging was completed, the robot competitions began. Many teams faced challenges as they worked to improve their robots in a limited amount of time.
At the end of the scrimmage, Team Neutrino and Team Photon gave presentations about their respective teams. This effort aimed to inspire the students to consider pursuing robotics in high school.
Following the FLL Scrimmage, the AMS FLL teams competed at the Webster City FLL Regional! Some awards won by the teams include:
27661 Dino Nuggets
25942 Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sa Rembo Tari Gari Guchi Pit Peri Pembo
On September 27th, Team Neutrino hosted FLL Day at the Ames Public Library from 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM, reaching out to 71 attendees. The event featured seven booths. One booth offered a STEM crafting table where participants could create paper airplanes. Another booth was dedicated to LEGO® building, allowing children to design and construct their own LEGO® robot models. At the coding station, we taught attendees how to complete tasks using LEGO® SPIKE PRIME. In the next station, kids also engaged in pseudocoding with a Bee Bot to navigate it to the finish line.
Two members of Team Photon 18050 attended and brought their robot for this season’s game, DECODE. They shared insights on their design process and their current progress in the season. The kids would then go to the next station, where the children enjoyed a game of I Spy with our robot, Levi, where they had to identify various components such as motors, the limelight, gas springs, and compliant wheels, while also learning about the function of each part.
Participants received a punch card that was signed off at each booth they visited, allowing them to redeem their completed cards at the prize table. They could choose their own prizes and assemble gift bags that included custom 3D-printed Team Neutrino LEGO® bricks.
Thank you to everyone who came and enjoyed the event and gave us a new opportunity to reach a new community!
Last weekend, Team Neutrino volunteered for the FLL Scrimmage and Webster City FLL Regional! At the FLL Scrimmage, Team Neutrino and Team Photon gave FLL teams in Ames the opportunity to present their innovation projects, receive feedback, and run through robot matches against other teams before they competed in Webster City. Following the FLL Scrimmage, the AMS FLL teams competed at the Webster City FLL Regional! Some awards won by the teams include:
Octopuses or Octopodes
Curious Banana Seal Surfers
Last weekend, Team Neutrino volunteered for the FLL Scrimmage and Webster City FLL Regional! At the FLL Scrimmage, Team Neutrino and Team Photon gave FLL teams in Ames the opportunity to present their innovation projects, receive feedback, and run through robot matches against other teams before they competed in Webster City. Following the FLL Scrimmage, the AMS FLL teams competed at the Webster City FLL Regional! Some awards won by the teams include:
The Purple Puffin Puppies
T-Rex Takeover
Happy Little Goats Wearing Happy Little Sweaters
FIRST Lego League this year has been a challenge for mentors, coaches, and team members alike. As we reach the conclusion of this crazy season and an even crazier year, we’d like to tell you about how we approached these challenges and how proud we are of everyone that helped work through them.
As the season began, no one knew what to expect. At the time, we were fully remote for schooling, so FLL had to do the same. Discussions were crucial, and planning ideas were more at the forefront of our program, as no one knew when we would be able to actually build or work with the robot. As we moved into a more hybrid format, with half of the teams coming on one day and the other on the next, mentors and coaches continued to help online, as being with them wasn’t in the cards.
I can’t have ever imagined that I would mentor and connect with a team without ever seeing them in person. Mentoring online was certainly one of the biggest challenges for me personally, as there were limited camera angles of the robot field, and the students weren’t used to re-explaining all of what they were doing. As the hybrid format continued, the team got a lot more comfortable with it, and it seemed like a nearly normal season.
Of course, when the team had to go back to fully remote learning for school, the challenges came back in a wave. As it was at the end of the season, programs had to be perfected and tested, presentations rehearsed. As the project was already more suited to the online format, it didn’t seem to pose quite as many issues, but remotely programming and testing the robot was one of the largest hoops for the team to jump through. Using Chrome Remote Desktop Support, team members were able to control the laptop that was at the school in order to program and run the robot, which seems simple enough, until one realizes that Dagney (the lead coach for our FLL teams) would have to run back and forth and set up the robot each time. There were multiple times that I wished I could be there to help because trying to set up two fields at once seemed like one of the most oddly challenging tasks for one person to do.
The students did amazing things this year. As a mentor and a high school student, I feel like I was more ready to deal with situations like this, but the members had no idea what to expect or how to do this. Through internet issues and remote learning, the team truly embodied the Core Values of FLL.
-Alanna, FLL Potato Tornado mentor and FRC Team Neutrino member