LEGO Building Competition Can Lead to Career Pathways
MADISON, FL (February 2, 2023) – On Monday, January 23, young contestants of the Suwannee River Regional Library LEGO Club Extravaganza were in a competition to be the first to build, program, and race LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robots. While fun was a major theme of this event, participants learned elements of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Their hands-on experience was led by Bill Eustace, Program Instructor for North Florida College’s Certified Production Technology (CPT) Program. “Toys like LEGOs can open doors to creative design thought,” said Eustace. “Fun and competitive experiences in subject areas such as STEM are the foundation to engineering and manufacturing.”
Eustace hosts the annual NFC Robotics Camp for middle school students and the NFC Mechatronics Camp for high school students, where groups engage in hands-on learning of robotics and software programming. The camps end with a final competition of their completed robots.
“Playful competitions like the LEGO event and the summer camps build student skills to explore related training and careers.”
Students who decide to enter the workforce after completing the CPT program may quickly become Supervisors of Production, Industrial Production Managers, and more. CPT is also a building block for key NFC programs such as Industrial Machinery Maintenance coming Fall 2023.
For more information on the Certified Production Technology program or summer camps, contact Bill Eustace at 850-973-1670 or email [email protected].
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Young competitors smile with Bill Eustace, Program Instructor for NFC’s Certified Production Technology program.
An onlooker watches as participants receive instruction from Eustace and individually work to assemble and program their LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robots.
Robotics competitor assembling his Lego Mindstorm EV3 robot.
Robotics competitor programming his Lego Mindstorm EV3 robot.