Approximately 85 elementary and middle school robotics teams will compete in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) LEGO League (FLL) Qualifying Tournaments on February 2-3. The event is being sponsored by School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. and the Central Islip Union Free School District. The tournaments will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on both days at Central Islip Senior High School, located at 85 Wheeler Road in Central Islip.

This year’s challenge is Senior Solutions, which focuses on solving problems that senior citizens face. Teams will partner with seniors, hold conversations with them about their struggles, and together create solutions as to how these setbacks can be improved. Upon completion, teams will come together and share the discussed solutions to their senior teammates’ problems. This activity will connect young students and the elderly together to help ensure that a stronger bond within the community is created.

FIRST LEGO League is an international program for 9- to 14-year-old children created in a partnership between FIRST and the LEGO Group in 1998, based on their common belief that fun and learning go hand-in-hand, and that an inspired mind can accomplish anything. Each September, FIRST LEGO League announces the annual Challenge to teams, engaging them in authentic scientific research and hands-on robotics design. Using LEGO MINDSTORMS technologies and LEGO play materials, children work alongside adult mentors to design, build, and program robots to complete missions based on real-world challenges. After eight intense weeks, the competition season culminates at high-energy, sports-like tournaments.

On December 1, 2012, thirty-eight FLL teams participated in a practice tournament at Roosevelt Hall in Farmingdale State College to prepare for the qualifiers.

“The practice competitions that were held in December made everyone involved more eager for the upcoming Qualifying Tournaments. We expect those participants to bring their creativity, teamwork, problem solving skills and gracious professionalism to the tournaments,” stated Janet Anderson, of School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc.

For more information about SBPLI and the annual FIRST Robotics Competition, visithttp://www.sbpli.org.