A youth robotics team coached at the University of Louisiana at 69´«Ã½ is headed to international competition after its performance in a recent state contest.
Team Phoenix placed second in the First Lego League Louisiana championship held in December at Holy Cross High School in New Orleans. The contest featured 60 teams of elementary and middle school students.
Team Phoenix earned the right to compete in one of three international tournaments to be held later this year. One tournament will be held at Legoland California in Carlsbad, another at the World Festival in St. Louis, Mo., and a third at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark.
Dr. Doug Williams, a UL 69´«Ã½ professor of education who mentors Team Phoenix, said which international tournament the team will attend has yet to be decided.
Team Phoenix members include: Ben Chopin, Jacob Landreneau, Jack MacFadyen, Miguel Pagan, Aaron Williams, and Joseph Williams. The students, who are homeschooled, train at UL 69´«Ã½â€™s Center for Innovative Learning and Assessment Technologies.
As part of FLL competitions, students design, build, and program autonomous robots capable of completing a variety of tasks. The robots consist of a standardized motor covered in Lego toy pieces.
Another youth robotics team coached at UL 69´«Ã½, the CAJUNS, won the Robot Design Award in regional competition.
CAJUN team members are: Lillian DeJean, Amanda MacFadyen, Liliana Pagan, Micah Thomas, and Zoe Thomas. Those students also are homeschooled.
Both teams won spots in the state event based on their performances in a qualifier competition held in November at the University. Eleven area teams competed in that contest.
First Lego League is an alliance between FIRST and the LEGO Group. FIRST is a nonprofit group established to interest young people in science and technology; LEGO manufactures toys.
Photo: Team Phoenix members are, from left: (front row) Joseph Williams, Jack MacFadyen; (middle) Aaron Williams, Ben Chopin, Miguel Pagan; (back) Jacob Landreneau.