Visit these links to learn more about robotics:

FIRST LEGO League - Here's the homepage for our robotics competition

LEGO MINDSTORMS - An area for young inventors to explore LEGO's hands-on robotics technology.

FIRST - a nonprofit organization whose mission is to generate an interest in science and engineering among today's youth. Currently, their primary means of accomplishing this goal is through their annual robot competitions.

Tech Museum of Innovation - This is a special robotics section at San Jose's Tech Museum.

Robotics School Report Information - This site is maintained by Roger Arrick of Arrick's Robotics.

Robotics

Los Alamitos is a pioneer in the area of elementary school robotics.  More than half of our 4th and 5th grade students are participating in the international robotics FIRST LEGO League.  This is NOT a school-based program nor a school supported program but is solely sponsored by our PTA.

Liana Marquez robotics@losalamitos.org is our PTA Robotics Coordinator for the 2004-2005 season.

2004 Challenge - No Limits

2004 Theme:
In this year's challenge, FLL teams will find ways to help people with different levels of physical ability.

Premise:
The dream of a modern society is one of equal access for all. Society as a whole benefits when creativity, technology and open minds come together to help make that equality possible for all people, regardless of physical differences.

Focus:
Many people have difficulty moving or walking, or trouble reading a distant sign or climbing stairs. The 2004 FLL Challenge is to examine these seemingly simple tasks in a new light and explore how technology and human thought can work together to create equal access for all people.

The Challenge:
Each FLL team will build and program a robot that addresses the specific needs of people who face physical challenges in today's society. Teams will research and present robotics technology solutions to help individuals in their community perform the everyday actions that many people today take for granted. FLL Website

What is FLL?

"The FIRST LEGO League (FLL), considered the "little league" of the FIRST Robotics Competition, is the result of a partnership between FIRST and the LEGO Company. FLL extends the FIRST concept of inspiring and celebrating science and technology to children aged 9 through 14, using real-world context and hands-on experimentation.

With the help of LEGO® MINDSTORMS™ Robotics Invention System™ technology, young participants can build a robot and compete in a friendly, FIRST-style robotics event specially designed for their age group. Using LEGO bricks and other elements such as sensors, motors, and gears, teams gain hands-on experience in engineering and computer programming principles as they construct and program their unique robot inventions."

Los Alamitos' Space Girls, 2003 winners of the Northern California FLL Teamwork Award, are surrounded by their coaches, former Los Alamitos Principal Devin Blizzard, and Castillero's Super Nova Girls.  Three of the Super Nova Girls are former Los Alamitos students.