Bradin Rohde and Caleb Wallengren, from Lehi, joined student groups from across the state to put their LEGO robots to the test in the fifth annual Utah FIRST LEGO League state championship at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015.
The friendly and educational contest involves kids ages 9 to 14 who have spent the year building and fine-tuning their robotic creations.
Students who compete are "our future inventors, scientists and business leaders," said Anne Bastien, the Utah operational partner for First LEGO League and a program manager at the University of Utah's Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, which sponsors the LEGO program.
"Through this program, they learn how to solve challenging real-world problems using creativity and teamwork," she said. "They also gain the motivation to pursue a meaningful education and career path." LEGO provides kits to student groups across the nation to help them test the waters of innovation.