Local First Lego League wins award

In January, Young Saint Louis.com ran a feature story on a 6-member team that won the top prize in the Missouri State First Lego League tournament.

Last month, the "Oddly Charged Particles" team from west St. Louis County brought home a special award from the First Lego League's World Festival in Atlanta.

The team won the Judges Prize, a special award that recognizes a team whose entry didn't fit any of the standard prizes. The St. Louis team got special recognition for the 'extras' it included in its presentation.

This year's World Festival theme was "Power Puzzle." It urged teams to design, build and program robots that explore options to meet the world's growing energy needs.

The St. Louis team's overall entry included a detailed energy audit of the Selvidge Middle School. They reported the findings to the Rockwood School District's board.

The team also gave testimony t the Energy and Environment Committee of the Missouri Legislature in Jefferson City.

Members of the "Oddly Charged Particles" team were: Vineeth Bhuvanagiri, Linsey Button, Chris and Ryan Novatny, Ian Pittwood and Brian Roth. The coaches were Ron Pittwood and Vijay Bhuvanagiri.

Back row: Coach Ron Pittwood, Brian Roth, Vineeth Bhuvanagiri, Linsey Button and Coach Vijay Bhutanagiri. Front row: Chris and Ryan Novatny and Ian Pittwood.

(To read the January, 2008, story, click here.)