LEGO MINDSTORMS ROBOTS COMPETITION FOR WEST VIRGINIA K-12 STUDENTS
Cao Wei, Peggy Vance, Michael Maxson, Thomas Minnich · 2025
Since 2003 West Virginia University has hosted the Lego Mindstorms Robots Competition for K-12 students for West Virginia High, Middle and Elementary Schools.This annual event is attempting to promote K-12 kids for MSET (Math, Science, Engineering and Technology).In the past several years, this event attracted enthusiastic interests from k-12 WV schools.Every year there were more than 15 schools and 300 kids come to the event; they spent a whole day for competition, demonstration and tours of engineering and technology labs in WVU.The event has caught attention from government education agents, private education foundations and industrial sectors.The sponsor pool of the competition has been growing up year-by-year, which includes the WVU, WV State Agency, Toyota Inc, Parallax Inc, WV Education department, WV Logan County School Distinct, WV Tech Prep Foundation, Appalachia Education Lab and etc.In this article, the short history, organization methodology and strategy, competition format, college student involvement, follow-up feedback and future plan will be discussed.The next competition, The 5th Lego Robots Competition for High, Middle and Elementary Schools in WV will be held on May 2007. Motivation from WVUIn 2000 and 2001 summers, WVU professor, Dr. Wei Cao joined the Bus Tour with his NASA colleagues, which was aiming to promote science and technology for the k-12 kids in their early ages.The bus tour was a big success.The kids watched the shows conducted by NASA scientists and engineers, and did the experiments by themselves under the supervision of NASA bus crew.Those shows and experiments covered the wide range of NASA research projects, such as model shuttle launch, model wind tunnel, turbo engine experiment, satellite communication ground station and other advanced technology from NASA.A particular Lego Mindstorms Robot show drew much attention from the kids.And the NASA colleague told the kids that this small robot is mimic version of the real robots sent to Mars.They both used the same scientific and technology principles.Dr. Cao has learnt that the