35 young people from Swansea, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire got the chance to get to grips with the exciting world of Lego Mindstorms at a workshop held at Swansea University.

As part of this year’s challenge, the project is running a pilot with Olchfa Comprehensive School and Morriston Comprehensive School, Swansea, Ysgol Bro Gwaun and Ysgol Greenhill, Pembrokeshire and Ysgol Dyffryn Taf, from Carmarthenshire.

The Technocamps Lego challenge is based on the FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) Food Factor theme that encourages pupils to build and program a Lego robot to take on a number of tasks within a two and a half minute period.

They will have until June next year to do this back at school during their Technoclub session, which is a fun and stimulating extracurricular club that schools are encouraged to set up for their pupils, giving them the opportunity to further expand new computing based skills after attending a Technocamps workshop at the University.

The schools will then be expected to demonstrate their final project at the Technocamps Lego Challenge final at the Big Bang Cymru next June (28th) at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea.

Professor Faron Moller, Director of Technocamps, said, “The whole purpose of this challenge is to give pupils an opportunity to test their research and programming skills. It requires a lot of thought, preparation and commitment to make something tangible that will actual work, and depending on the concept, could see the idea taken to industry. The Technoclub provides the perfect platform for pupils to work in teams to get the best out of the challenge.”

Duncan Wilson, Head of ICT from Ysgol Bro Gwaun in Pembrokeshire, said, “Our pupils were inspired by the demonstration and are very keen to get going and meet the Lego Challenge. This sort of event is a first stepping stone for the computer programmers and innovators of tomorrow.”

The Technocamps workshops and the Technoclubs have been designed to nurture and inspire future generations of highly skilled and enthusiastic digital novices, who will not only develop and supply our on-going science and technology needs but could also make Wales a world leader in the development of new and advanced technologies.

Technocamps is a £6million project led by Swansea University in partnership with the Universities of Bangor, Aberystwyth, and Glamorgan, was granted funding by the Welsh Government through the European Social Fund.

For further information on Technocamps or to register your interest in Technocamps activities, please visit www.technocamps.com  or call 01792 606890. Alternatively, email the Technocamps team at info@technocamps.com.

This news item has been posted by Janis Pickwick, Swansea University Public Relations Office, Tel: 01792 513245 or email: j.m.pickwick@swansea.ac.uk