Lego robotics

AUGUSTA, MAINE - Intricate robots made of Legos were put through a battery of tests as junior high students watched their creations perform difficult tasks in a certain amount of time under the watchful eyes of enthusiastic judges and dedicated teachers.

Last weekend, a crowd of nearly a 1,000 creative students and dedicated parents and teachers participated in the Lego League Championship at the Augusta Civic Center.

Students spent months programming these unique robots with computers to get these technological marvels ready for competition.

Students who participate in this after-school program are given the opportunity to use Legos to build these remarkable robots. Computers are employed to program these incredible creations.

Call it teaching outside the box.

My son became a Lego fanatic years ago, and he still constructs amazing battleships using these plastic building blocks.

When he heard about the after-school program, he jumped at the chance to join the team.

Last year, he decided to join the program to work with a team of students at Auburn Middle School. Students learn the in and outs of programming as well as design of robots. It is a lot of work and it takes patience, creativity and team work.

My son participates year-round and then moves on to solar-powered cars competition in the spring.

There is no question a program like this can steer students toward careers in computers and engineering while they are having the time of their lives making these things work.

Jim Rowe, a dedicated and passionate teacher, oversees the Lego and solar-powered cars competition. He is a man of infinite patience who also teaches shop at the school. He is a resourceful educator who takes a genuine interest in each of his students. Rowe is a one-man show who organizes these students into a team and guides them as their robots come to fruition

Watching these students build this robot from the ground up is eye-opening. My son's team, "The Seventh Sense," performed well enough to earn an award in programming.

Their success is a tribute to their ingenuity and diligence, and to a teacher who goes the distance for his students.