Team SHuFLLe FLL UK 2017
Donation protected
Who are we?
Hi, we’re Team SHuFLLe, which stands for Shoalhaven FIRST Lego League. We're a group of Aussie teenagers and we're the only team respresenting Australia at the FLL International Competition in Bath, UK in June 2017.
What does that mean?
FIRST Lego League, or FLL for short, is an international competition for kids aged 9-16 where teams build a robot out of Lego and program it to complete challenges. FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology”. It is a not-for-profit global instituion who design open-ended and engaging challenges for young people with the view of encouraging a strong interest in STEM subjects (that's Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) They teamed up with Lego to create an international competition to get kids more engaged in STEM and out of that creation came the FIRST Lego League, or FLL.
What do we do?
Every year around late August on the same day all across the world, the latest FLL competition is launched. Each year it’s a different theme and all the challenges on the game board relate to that year’s theme. 2016’s theme was Animal Allies and it looks at the relationship between animals and humans and how we can help each other for mutual benefit.
But FLL isn’t just about playing with Lego, there’s also a project component. Each team has to identify a real-world problem related to that year’s theme and come up with an innovative solution to solve that problem. Then they present their solution, or their ‘project’, to the judges on competition day. The project has the same weighting towards the team’s final score as the robot challenges.
Our Project - protecting mangroves
Team SHuFLLe recognized the importance of mangroves for our rivers, oceans and waterways, and importantly, what the loss of mangroves is doing to the oceans, our water quality and the sea creatures that rely on mangroves for food, breeding and protection. Our innovative solution to this problem is a special box that is placed in the riverbed and is shaped in such a way that when the tide or waves wash over the box, the sediment settles at the bottom and builds up over time, creating a foundation for the mangroves to grow in. The box is made from wood so it will slowly decay over time, just like the pillars of a wharf or jetty, without damaging the marine environment in the process. The box provides protect for the small mangrove as it grows.
We are fortunate to live near the beautiful Shoalhaven River where mangroves play a vital role. Small mangroves are impacted greatly by tides, silt errosion and seagrass smothering the little plants. Our box design addresses all those problems, greatly improving the successful establishment of mangroves in our river. A local volunteer group, Shoalhaven Riverwatch, is working with us to install our box into the river to see our design in action. They were very impressed when we presented to them and are keen to monitor its progress.
Our Journey so far
At our Regional competition at the end of November in 2016, we were awarded Tournament Champions based on our success in the Lego robot challenge games, our great teamwork during our Core Values challenges, and especially because of our project design and innovative solution. We then progressed to the National competition in early December and competed against 40 teams from around Australia. We won the Judges Award for our project and have been invited to compete at an International competition in Bath in June! In fact, we are the only team from Australia going to the UK to compete. There are 12 Australian teams competing internationally this year but we’re the only team going to the UK.
Representing Australia
We’re sure you’d agree that it’s a huge honor for a small team from Nowra to represent Australia. Our team consists of 3 local teenage boys as well as a parent coach and supporters. There will be 6 of us in total waving the flag for Australia in June.
How can you help?
We are seeking financial support for this amazing opportunity. Our team is aiming to raise $20,000 to cover all our expenses, such as flights, accommodation, competition registration and car hire, and would gratefully appreciate any financial assistance that you can provide.
To be ambassadors for our country will be an incredible experience, one we'll remember for the rest of our lives.
Hi, we’re Team SHuFLLe, which stands for Shoalhaven FIRST Lego League. We're a group of Aussie teenagers and we're the only team respresenting Australia at the FLL International Competition in Bath, UK in June 2017.
What does that mean?
FIRST Lego League, or FLL for short, is an international competition for kids aged 9-16 where teams build a robot out of Lego and program it to complete challenges. FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology”. It is a not-for-profit global instituion who design open-ended and engaging challenges for young people with the view of encouraging a strong interest in STEM subjects (that's Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) They teamed up with Lego to create an international competition to get kids more engaged in STEM and out of that creation came the FIRST Lego League, or FLL.
What do we do?
Every year around late August on the same day all across the world, the latest FLL competition is launched. Each year it’s a different theme and all the challenges on the game board relate to that year’s theme. 2016’s theme was Animal Allies and it looks at the relationship between animals and humans and how we can help each other for mutual benefit.
But FLL isn’t just about playing with Lego, there’s also a project component. Each team has to identify a real-world problem related to that year’s theme and come up with an innovative solution to solve that problem. Then they present their solution, or their ‘project’, to the judges on competition day. The project has the same weighting towards the team’s final score as the robot challenges.
Our Project - protecting mangroves
Team SHuFLLe recognized the importance of mangroves for our rivers, oceans and waterways, and importantly, what the loss of mangroves is doing to the oceans, our water quality and the sea creatures that rely on mangroves for food, breeding and protection. Our innovative solution to this problem is a special box that is placed in the riverbed and is shaped in such a way that when the tide or waves wash over the box, the sediment settles at the bottom and builds up over time, creating a foundation for the mangroves to grow in. The box is made from wood so it will slowly decay over time, just like the pillars of a wharf or jetty, without damaging the marine environment in the process. The box provides protect for the small mangrove as it grows.
We are fortunate to live near the beautiful Shoalhaven River where mangroves play a vital role. Small mangroves are impacted greatly by tides, silt errosion and seagrass smothering the little plants. Our box design addresses all those problems, greatly improving the successful establishment of mangroves in our river. A local volunteer group, Shoalhaven Riverwatch, is working with us to install our box into the river to see our design in action. They were very impressed when we presented to them and are keen to monitor its progress.
Our Journey so far
At our Regional competition at the end of November in 2016, we were awarded Tournament Champions based on our success in the Lego robot challenge games, our great teamwork during our Core Values challenges, and especially because of our project design and innovative solution. We then progressed to the National competition in early December and competed against 40 teams from around Australia. We won the Judges Award for our project and have been invited to compete at an International competition in Bath in June! In fact, we are the only team from Australia going to the UK to compete. There are 12 Australian teams competing internationally this year but we’re the only team going to the UK.
Representing Australia
We’re sure you’d agree that it’s a huge honor for a small team from Nowra to represent Australia. Our team consists of 3 local teenage boys as well as a parent coach and supporters. There will be 6 of us in total waving the flag for Australia in June.
How can you help?
We are seeking financial support for this amazing opportunity. Our team is aiming to raise $20,000 to cover all our expenses, such as flights, accommodation, competition registration and car hire, and would gratefully appreciate any financial assistance that you can provide.
To be ambassadors for our country will be an incredible experience, one we'll remember for the rest of our lives.
Organizer
Karen Woods
Organizer
Nowra DC NSW
