(PHOTOS) Lego Maniacs Place High in State Lego Tourney Project Portion

battled through the first rounds of Saturday’s FIRST Lego League State Championship to finish in the top three for the project portion of the tournament.

In the FIRST Lego League Competition, students must build a robot out of Legos and program it to do different missions. They also must find a creative solution to a problem related to this year’s theme, food safety, and present it to a judge.

The Lego Maniacs—comprised of eighth graders Spencer Ashford, Zach Carman, Noah Hughes, Zach Myers and Dan Pratt—toured Fresh Seasons and the West Junior High kitchens and e-mailed a University of Wisconsin professor to gather research for their project. They then developed a device that uses memory wire to trigger a timer that allows stores to see how long food sat in unsafe temperatures.

The work allowed them to place first in their judging section for that portion of the contest, allowing them to advance to the finals in that category. Although the judges there grilled them, the team remained composed and readily answered the tough questions.

Saturday’s competition at the Washington Technology Magnet School in St. Paul involved 26 teams that had earned places in regional tournaments. The Lego Maniacs—coached by parent volunteers Lorraine Myers and Pam Carman—earned the Best Project Award at the regional competition, where they also placed second in the Robot Head-to-Head category.