UIC supports future engineers at St Ignatius Lego competition
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UIC engineering faculty and students recently volunteered at the First Lego League robotics qualifier hosted by the St. Ignatius College Prep FIRST robotics team.
The First Lego League is a global competition that introduces students ages 9 to 16 to the world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through fun and engaging challenges.
“We want students to have great opportunities in STEM and help them pursue their dreams. This takes mentorship from professionals, so UIC volunteers to help with the competition,” said Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (MIE) Clinical Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies Jon Komperda, who served as the lead design judge as he critiqued student designs, highlighted innovative engineering ideas, and mentored teams on technical improvements.
“Service to the community around UIC is extremely important to MIE. UIC is here for all of Chicagoland, offering access to excellence,” he added.
During the challenge at St. Ignatius, 24 teams from the Chicago area built and programmed autonomous LEGO robots to perform specific tasks on a themed playing field centered around archaeology and the concept of uncovering the past to discover the future.
Teams were tasked with identifying a specific problem that archaeologists face – such as locating sites, excavating fragile artifacts, or preserving history – and designing a new solution or improving an existing one to help them better understand the past.
Teams built and programmed autonomous robots to navigate a field modeled after a dig site. The 15 missions simulate archaeological tasks, such as excavating objects, placing site markers, and transporting artifacts safely to museum areas or analysis labs.
“It challenges students to think like cognitive archaeologists—using modern technology to solve historical puzzles on a tabletop game board,” said UIC MIE grad student Paul Peretz, who helped organize the event and volunteered as a game announcer. “The energy of the students and watching them tackle challenges with so much curiosity and passion is easily the best part of the event.”
Additional UIC student volunteers included Biomedical Engineering undergraduate Anna Carroll, who served as a game announcer alongside Peretz, directed team staging, delivered live commentary, and acted as event emcees. MIE undergraduate Aracely Atempa served as the practice field pit admin, maintaining field logistics and moderating the team rotation schedule. MIE undergraduate George Ciuca acted as the primary official for scorekeeping and rule enforcement. Electrical and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Adrian Tse served as the timekeeper, keeping a careful eye on official match clocks and communicating time constraints to participants and announcers.
“As a UIC student, I believe it’s our responsibility to be active pillars in the community. We have an incredibly talented and enthusiastic group of peers who want to make a difference, and events like this provide the perfect platform to bridge the gap between university life and local STEM education,” said Peretz, who works in the Robotics and Motion Laboratory at UIC under the direction of Associate Professor Pranav Bhounsule.