Savannah State University will host the annual FIRST LEGO League regional competition on Saturday, December 3. The opening ceremonies will begin at 7:30 a.m. in King-Frazier student center before the competition starts in Willcox-Wiley at 8 a.m.

SSU’s College of Sciences and Technology coordinates the on-campus aspects of the event and provides volunteer mentors to the student competitors. The program is designed to get children ages 9-14 excited about science and technology. While it involves LEGO robotics, FLL also teaches teams to examine real-life problems and develop innovative solutions.

During the competition, students will program an autonomous robot to score points on a thematic playing surface, creating an innovative solution to a problem as part of their project. This year’s theme revolves around animal and human interaction. Players will have to solve various hypothetical challenges like shark shipment, animal conversation, service dog training, animal feeding, milking automation and more using problem solving and robotics engineering.

Winners will go on to higher level contests, culminating in the national showcase.

The event is free and open to the public.