STEM fanatics compete in national LEGO tournament

Aiden Lucas / 10 February 2020 / Categories: News, General

Ten fanatical STEM enthusiasts from Salford City Academy are proud to have recently competed in the first ever LEGO Mindstorms League Regional Final. 

Salford City Academy's team, consisting of both year 7 and 8 students, prepared for the national LEGO tournament over the duration of many weeks, during their extra-curricular STEM club; a part of Salford City Academy's renowned Aspire programme. 
 

The overall brief was for school students to build and program their very own LEGO robot; whilst constructing and demonstrating its very own gaming play area as part of LEGO’s ‘City Shaper’ themed national competition. STEM students from Salford City Academy had to research and re-design a problem building from across their local area of Eccles, Salford, as part of the competition brief prior to the tournament’s launch. 

On the day of the tournament, hosted by our partners at the University of Manchester, the team had to deliver a five-minute presentation to LEGO judges demonstrating how they have identified, designed and shared across their project. This included bringing and presenting a prototype of the solution they have invented using LEGO Mindstorms resources. 

As part of the competition, students learned how to utilise their coding skills in order to control their very own robots. They used LEGO programmers to guide their robot designs around their very own playing area in order to complete set tasks by LEGO officials on the day. 
 

Salford City Academy students also chose to redevelop the Crown Theatre in Eccles, Salford, as part of their brief. They decided to transform the building into a themed hotel for families, with bedrooms designed in the style of tv shows, cartoons and games. Parents were also catered for as part of their project with a spa and a top-class restaurant on site. 

Students from Salford City Academy were delighted to be honoured the Judge's Choice Award for their determination and desire to improve throughout the tournament. The STEM club team thoroughly enjoyed their experience throughout the competition and everyone at Salford City Academy looks forward to an even more successful tournament next academic year.