One aspect of the competition was a research project relating to the theme of problems faced by moving cargo. The Innovation Project Award was given to the team whose quality research, innovative solutions, community sharing and presentation best reflect an in-depth understanding of the scientific disciplines involved with the project. The winners of the Innovation Project Award were:

• Team 8479: Go-Go-Robo of Cape Girardeau, Missouri

During the event, teams show their robots off to a group of judges. The judges evaluated the mechanical design, innovation, programming effectiveness and team strategies for solving missions to assess the overall design quality. The winners of the Robot Design Award were:

• Team 2064: Spare Parts from Cape Girardeau

The most recognized part of the competition takes place on 8 feet by 8 feet fields. Here, robots wander through the fields completing cargo-themed missions (such as moving cargo along a rail or loading cargo into trucks). Each completed mission is awarded points. The teams with the highest scores receive the Robot Performance Award. The winners of this award were:

• Team 48376: Legolistics of Jackson, Missouri

An important tenet of FIRST is gracious professionalism. According to FIRST, this is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others and respects individuals and the community. The Core Values Award is presented to the team that best demonstrates extraordinary enthusiasm and spirit, inspiration, exceptional partnership, and the utmost respect to its own teammates and in its support and encouragement of fellow teams. The Core Values Award winners were:

• Team 48376: Legolistics

Finally, the Champion’s Award recognizes the teams that embodies the overall FIRST LEGO League experience by fully embracing the competition’s Core Values while achieving excellence and innovation in both the Robot Game and the Project. To win this award, teams must do well in all of the categories listed above. The Champion’s Award winners were:

• Team 49022: Eaglebots of Jackson 

Based on the awards above and overall scores within the event, the judges presented two ‘Golden Tickets’ that allow teams to advance to the Missouri Regional FLL Championship in St. Louis, Missouri, on Feb. 5. These teams were:

• Team 48376: Legolistics
• Team 49022: Eaglebots

Also on Feb. 5, Southeast will host the FIRST Technology Challenge at the Student Recreation Center. This is the next level of robotics competitions for kids from 7-12th grade. This event is free and open to the public, with the best recommended attendance from 1-4 p.m. Additionally, volunteers are needed throughout the day. More information can be found at http://firstinspires.org or by contacting bdeken@semo.edu.