Troy, N.Y. — Thirty-four middle school teams from around the Capital Region, New York state, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Connecticut competed Dec. 9 in the FIRST LEGO® League (FLL) Power Puzzle Challenge at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The global competition has been brought to the region for the third time through a partnership between General Electric (GE) and Rensselaer.

The tournament, which is supported by nearly 120 GE Volunteers and Rensselaer students, faculty, and staff, puts eight weeks of research, design, and programming to the test, giving middle school students from the Northeast the chance to participate at the FLL World Festival at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Approximately 340 middle school children, ages 9 to 14, are among the record 100,000 students around the world who have risen to the 2007 FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Power Puzzle Challenge. This year’s Challenge calls for teams to research and present their own creative solutions to one of today’s most critical environmental issues: energy management and conservation.

With missions exploring solar panels on houses, hydro-dams, wind turbines, and planting trees, teams programmed their robots to find sustainable options to meet our planet’s growing energy needs in environmentally sound ways.

FIRST collaborated with organizations including the Gulf Coast Combined Heat and Power Application Center, the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of South Carolina, and the Second Hill Group, an independent consultant that specializes in issues including energy, environment, and green design, to create a theme and Challenge missions that are reflective of today’s real-world issues.

FLL is a partnership between the LEGO Group and FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), which was founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen to motivate young people to pursue careers in science, technology, and engineering. FLL is the middle school component of the FIRST Robotics Competition, an international contest that teams professionals and young people to solve an engineering design problem in a competitive way.

“The environment is a huge concern for everyone, including kids,” Kamen says. “Giving them a hands-on experience that allows them to use their imaginations and creativity in combination with science and technology to solve a real-world problem is empowering. It captures the true spirit of FIRST LEGO League and unleashes the creative problem-solving skills today’s kids need for building a better tomorrow.”

The tournament, which has doubled in size since launching in the Capital Region two years ago, is organized by GE Volunteers and Rensselaer’s Center for Initiatives in Pre-College Education (CIPCE), which works with area teachers and students to promote the use of robotics in the classroom.

“We’re proud to help students bring technology to life through hands-on programs that can inspire their interests as future scientists and engineers,” said Mark M. Little, senior vice president and director, GE Global Research. “The FLL competition brings visibility to real-world technical opportunities and challenges, and we hope to grow the pipeline of professional talent who will drive future innovations in these areas.”

“This is an opportunity to help students understand the common themes that connect math, science, engineering, and technology, and the  nation’s best research universities can and must play a significant role in strengthening these areas of education at the pre-college level,” says Lester Rubenfeld, CIPCE director and professor of mathematical sciences at Rensselaer. “By hosting robotics competitions, assisting teachers, and mentoring students, we can be part of the solution to this critical national challenge. I am so proud of our students who are volunteering their time to show the next generation how much fun math, science, and engineering can be.”

The FIRST LEGO League competition organized by CIPCE in collaboration with GE is part of Rensselaer’s larger effort to interest area young people and their families in pursuing occupations in the fields of science and engineering. Other “pipeline” programs include: Design Your Future Day, to engage young girls in science and engineering studies and professions; Exploring Engineering Day, to spark the interest of Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts in science, technology, and engineering; and Rensselaer’s Molecularium™ project to teach young children about the smallest forms of matter.

FLL’s 10th year is also its biggest season, with more than 10,000 teams – more than 100,000 students – from 38 countries competing in hundreds of qualifying events and Championship Tournaments. More than 100,000 students will compete to win honors and recognition. Teams will also have the opportunity to participate at the FIRST LEGO League World Festival, to be held in conjunction with the FIRST Championship, April 17-19, 2008 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.

Note to editors: Tournament results will be posted on the following Web site:  http://firstlegoleague.techvalley.org.

About GE Volunteers
GE employees and retirees contribute more than one million hours of service annually to local community initiatives. Today, there are 200 GE Volunteer councils located in 36 countries around the world. Each is responsible for mobilizing volunteers to address serious social issues facing their communities, including education, protecting the environment, community development, and applying their professional capacity to help school systems and nonprofits.