Trophy for local robotics team

Matt Hill and the Derwent Valley First Lego Team.

MEMBERS of the Derwent Valley First Lego League team have enjoyed great progress in their second year, winning a trophy at last weekend's state competition.

The group is an initiative of the Derwent Valley Youth Future Action Team (D’FAT), providing insight into science and engineering.

"First Lego League is a national and international science and engineering competition for students aged nine to 16 years," D'FAT facilitator Matt Hill said.

“The problem-solving competition has teams of up to 10 students building, programming and competing with a robot, which must complete challenges to score points,” he said.

“Through its 10-week program since August, D’FAT has mentored a team of six children and young people from the Derwent Valley area,” Mr Hill said. Weekly sessions were held at the Derwent Valley Salvation Army from 9.30am until noon.

D'FAT chairman Nic Kaiser and First Lego Team members at
the end of last year's program.

At the conclusion of the program, 30 teams from across the state competed at the 2019 regional competition on November 2 at St Virgil's College in Austin Ferry, where the Derwent Valley team was awarded the 2019 prize for Strategy and Innovation.

D’FAT chairman Nic Kaiser said the Derwent Valley Rotary Club had provided funding to assist with the continuation of D’FAT’s Lego team program. “Additional support is received from the Children's University Tasmania and the Salvation Army,” Mr Kaiser said.