Lincoln Robotics League Fall 2017

The Lincoln Robotics League (LRL) is Lincoln's robotic league for students in Title I middle schools. LRL was started with the intention of uniting middle schools in Lincoln through a collection of after-school robotics programs to inspire and prepare a new and diverse generation of STEM professionals.

• Provide a hands-on and engaging STEM education platform

• Foster teamwork, problem-solving, and self-efficacy

• Improve STEM achievement of participating students

• Engage, inspire, and motivate students who are traditionally underrepresented in high education and STEM careers

• Provide an opportunity for community engagement in a STEM-related club to UNL students

Engineering and Programming Robots. Students engineer and program LEGO EV3 Mindstorm Robots in teams under the guidance of experienced CSEA mentors. Students must critically think and work together to solve challenges that have been crafted by CSEA organizers. With these tools, students with all levels of experience will learn the fundamentals of computer science in an engaging and hands-on environment.

Exposure to Career Options beyond High School. Students participating in LRL attend a field trip to the UNL Innovation Campus and the UNL main campus. On this field trip, the students tour innovation campus, a state of the art maker space, and tour the NIMBUS lab, a cutting-edge drone research lab.

Semiannual Banquet/Competition for Friends and Family. All students participating in LRL also have the opportunity to showcase their projects and compete against the teams from all five Title I middle schools at the semiannual LRL Banquet/Competition. This semiannual banquet occurs at the end of each semester and is a fantastic opportunity for students to share what they have been working on all semester to their families and friends.

Mentor Training. The CSEA LRL organizers organize and facilitate a mentor training and orientation each semester for each new cohort of CSEA mentors. All CSEA mentors are required to attend this professional development and skill building training. Mentors are trained on how to appropriately and most effectively work with middle school students, how to engineer and program the LEGO EV3 robots, and we ensure all mentors know our expectations and desired program outcomes.