PENDLETON — Eighteen teams, representing students from Upstate elementary and middle schools, will compete in a regional qualifying event for FIRST LEGO League teams. Around 200 students, ages 9 – 14, along with coaches and parents, are expected to attend.

The event takes place Saturday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. in Marshall J. Parker Auditorium, Oconee Hall, Pendleton Campus.Awards will be given after 3 p.m.

It is hosted by Tri-County Technical College’s Engineering and Industrial Technology Division

FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is a program created by the FIRST organization. It introduces younger students to real-world engineering challenges by building LEGO-based robots to complete tasks on a thematic playing surface. FLL teams, guided by their imaginations and adult coaches, discover exciting career possibilities and, through the process, learn to make positive contributions to society.

In this year’s “Senior Solutions Challenge,” FLL teams will identify problems senior citizens face today (memory loss, reaction time, flexibility, recovery from an injury and keeping up with technology). Students have interviewed their clients (senior citizens) and developed ideas for solutions that they will present at the tournament.

The event is comprised of the robot game, robot design, research project and core values.

In the robot game, teams build and program an autonomous robot using LEGO MINDSTORMS technology to score points in 2.5-minute matches on a themed playing field, according to the FIRST website.

In the project, teams explore an actual problem that today’s scientists and engineers are trying to solve, develop an innovative solution to that problem and share their findings.

The FLL Core Values are the fundamental elements that distinguish FLL from other programs of its kind. Core Values emphasize contributions of others, friendly sportsmanship, learning, and community involvement.

Awards will be given in five areas: Champions Award (overall performance), Robot Performance, Robot Design, Project and Core Values.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an organization that seeks to create a world where science and technology are celebrated similar to a sports environment.

For more information, contact Stephanie Evans, FLL regional coordinator, at (864) 646-1517 or sevans3@tctc.edu.