2013-2014 Season (Disaster Blaster)
The Expo
[See more photos here]
The LRC Jr.FLL Expo was held on May 24, 2014. The theme for the season was about natural disasters. Children were asked to learn about a natural disaster and to figure out how to prepare, be safe and recover from such disasters. There were 28 teams from 15 towns in 9 counties: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex , Morris, Somerset , Union, and Putnam NY.
The LRC Jr.FLL Expo was held on May 24, 2014. The theme for the season was about natural disasters. Children were asked to learn about a natural disaster and to figure out how to prepare, be safe and recover from such disasters. There were 28 teams from 15 towns in 9 counties: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex , Morris, Somerset , Union, and Putnam NY.
The participants enjoyed the following activities:
- A 45-minute interactive science show by “Mad Science” (from 12:00 PM to 12:45 PM). The show included demonstrations of weather related elements through fun activities: vortex generator and hovercraft riding to demonstrate air pressure; Tesla coil and a piece of paper can catch fire to demonstrate the result of wild fires by lightnings; and a demonstration with chemical volcanic eruption.
- Jr. FLL teams (ages 6-9) presenting their “Disaster Blaster” projects and LEGO models that incorporate motors and computer programming.
- FIRST LEGO League (FLL) and FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robot demonstration by team Landroids, Alpha Force, Super Solution, Spongebots and Exit 5 Robotics
- Ball throwing robot by FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team Mechanical Mustangs
- Family friendly activities including a petting zoo, art & craft, face painters, a giant blow-up obstacle course and slides, adopt-a-pet, and a chalk walk, food and music among others.
The Post-Expo Surprise
The participants were invited in the Summer of 2014 to visit the Weston Observatory and iRobot headquarters to make a connection to real-world applications by seeing New England earthquake monitoring station and robots that can help in rescue missions. See this article for details of the post-expo event.
The Results
| Team | Town | Award |
| #253 Ro-bots | West Orange | Cool Programming |
| #282 Darkside Champions | South Orange | Most Explosive |
| #283 The Masterbuilders | Maplewood | Inquiring Minds |
| #284 The Fellowship of the Bricks | Maplewood | Complexity and Decoration |
| #720 RoboBlast | Plainsboro | Gracious Professionalism |
| #930 Lego Masterminds | Westfield | Complexity and Decoration |
| #1502 Robokids | North Brunswick | Cool Programming |
| #1827 Awesome AVP | Princeton | Awesome Machine |
| #2084 Makers & Brakers | Secaucus | Inquiring Minds |
| #2580 Lego Hurricanes | Montclair | Team Spirit |
| #2637 Avengers | Glenn Ridge | Super Sensor |
| #2924 Lego Super Starz | Parsippany | Super Sensor |
| #2957 Robotic Ninjas | Montclair | Amazing Robot Design |
| #3364 Lego Angels | Plansboro | Super Researchers |
| #3417 Smartbots | Tenafly | Most Explosive |
| #3423 The Electrons | Livingston | Impressive Coding |
| #3534 Monty Lego Experts | Skillman | Effort and Learning |
| #3598 RoboChicas | West Orange | Effort and Learning |
| #3607 Secaucus Jewels | Secaucus | Super Researchers |
| #3610 Lego Launchers | Livingston | Construction Innovation |
| #3686 Masters of Disaster | Livingston | Innovation |
| #3687 Last of the Tsunamis | Livingston | Innovative Programming |
| #3688 Lego Crafters | Livingston | Effort and Learning |
| #3689 Disaster Masters | Livingston | Gracious Professionalism |
| #3690 Storm Blasters | Livingston | Amazing Robot Design |
| #3742 Ultimate Tsunami | Garrison NY | Gracious Professionalism |
| #3846 Robo Builders | Montclair | Team Spirit |
| #3706 Robo Toc | Livingston | Awesome Machine |