(openPR) - Due to the overwhelming growth of FIRST (For Inspiration in and Recognition of Science and Technology) LEGO League (FLL) on Long Island, School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) will hold two qualifying tournaments leading to the FLL Championship Tournament. Qualifiers will take place January 28-29, 2012 at Berner Middle School, 50 Carman Mill Road, Massapequa. Teams check in at 8 a.m., and competition begins at 9 a.m. both days.

On December 10, thirty-five FLL teams took part in the FLL Practice Tournament at Farmingdale State College to get some extra practice in programming their robots for this season’s “FOOD FACTOR®” Challenge. In the FOOD FACTOR® Challenge, teams will build, test, and program an autonomous robot using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT to solve a set of food safety missions as well as research, develop, and share their innovative solutions to improve the world’s current food preparation processes.
This year, 80 FLL teams from Long Island have registered. Each registered team will compete during one of those two days, and 48 teams will advance to the FLL Championship Tournament, which will be held on March 4, 2012 at Longwood High School.

In the event of inclement weather, the qualifying tournaments will be held February 4-5. All teams scheduled to compete on January 28 will compete on February 4. All teams scheduled to compete on January 29 will compete on February 5.

“We are thrilled to have this response to the FIRST LEGO League,” said Janet Anderson, FLL Director, SBPLI. “I would personally like to thank the administration at Massapequa Public Schools for hosting the qualifying tournaments. This exciting event will definitely showcase these young, talented students who display a strong interest in science, technology and engineering.”

For more information, visit www.sbpli-lifirst.org.

School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) was founded in 1984 by Fred Breithut with the goal of developing partnerships between local high schools and businesses that would provide students with practical experience and curriculum development, while helping the business community develop its future workforce. Over 100 partnerships have been formed. In 1999, SBPLI brought the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics program to Long Island, where eight high school teams participated. Since then, the FIRST robotics program has grown to 50 teams, with over 2,000 students participating in FIRST Robotics and LEGO League programs on Long Island each year. The 2012 FIRST Robotics Competition will be held at Hofstra University on March 29-31, 2012.

Hank Russell, Public Relations Director
The Public Relations and Marketing Group
156 North Ocean Avenue
Patchogue, NY 11772
(631) 207-1057
hrussell@theprmg.com