Tullamore team advances to national final of Lego League competition

Team 'SHS Steminists' from Sacred Heart School in Tullamore were crowned champions at the Laois First Lego League Submerged tournament which took place on Wednesday, March 12, in the Laois Education Support Centre.

They successful Offaly students will now be making their way to the national final of the competition next month in Dublin.

They were joined on the winners' podium by 'Team D.U.W.I.E' from Coláiste Íosagáin in Portarlington, who won the Innovation Project Award, and Team 'Tyndall' from Tyndall College, Carlow, who won the Robot Design Award.

Heats of the hands-on robotics and problem-solving programme take place throughout Ireland this month, with teams of children, aged 10 to 16, learning to think creatively, like scientists and engineers.

The fun challenges involve a robot game and a research project, and this year’s theme will see Lego technology used to explore the layers of the ocean, bringing fresh ideas to the surface as students ‘sea’ into the future!

Teams will use technical and collaborative skills to explore life beneath the ocean waves in one of the planet’s most complex ecosystems.

Celine Fitzgerald, Interim CEO of Research Ireland, commented:

“We are delighted to continue our support of this competition through Research Ireland’s Discover Programme as it strongly aligns with the programme’s aims of encouraging participation in STEM and providing further access routes.

"By challenging participants to explore the ocean and its ecosystems in creative and hands-on ways, this year’s competition will lead teams to think just like engineers and scientists and build real-world skills in STEM."