Children will being doing a lot more than just playing with Legos this weekend at the FIRST Lego League Championship this Saturday. They will be learning how to cooperate with others, how to present their work in front of a large group of people and how a career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics fields could be in their futures.

“It give kids a hands-on opportunity to experience the whole engineering process — to learn how to solve problems, how to accomplish things, to work as a team,” said Brandon Newendorp, graduate student in human computer interaction. “It’s a good way to make them interested in STEM career fields and to start thinking, ‘This engineering thing could be fun and the cool thing to do.'”

The statewide FIRST Lego League championships will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Howe Hall. Seventy-two teams will take part in the tournament. The theme this year is “Food Factor,” which challenges teams to study food safety.

FIRST Lego League is part of For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, a nonprofit organization out of New Hampshire designed to inspire young people to pursue engineering and technology fields. Newendorp said he was involved with FIRST when he was in high school and he has continued to be involved with it ever since.

“When I got to Iowa State, I saw Lego League, and I thought, ‘Hey, I experienced a lot with FIRST,’ and I wanted to be a part of FIRST Lego League here and give back,” Newendorp said.

Lego League consists of three parts: core values, research and robotics. The teams will be judged on all three components.

“It’s much more than Legos,” Newendorp said. “Legos are just a tool kids are familiar with.”

The College of Engineering is the operational partner for FIRST Lego League of Iowa, meaning that the college oversees all of Iowa’s FIRST Lego League teams. Newendrop said Iowa State manages the regional competitions and then holds the statewide tournament.

Newendorp is a co-chairman for the planning committee for the FIRST Lego League Championship. He said the planning group also consists of two full-time ISU staff members and 11 or 12 other students. Three hundred student volunteers will also help out at the event Saturday.

Chris Tourek, graduate student in mechanical engineering, serves as the other co-chairman for the planning committee. Like Newendorp, Tourek also became involved with FIRST in high school and continued to be involved with the organization as a college student.

“I like how [FIRST] gets kids involved with technology in a way that they’re still having fun, and it’s also teaching them good teamwork skills and how to interact properly with others,” Tourek said.

Newendorp said the championship this weekend is not a competition, but rather a way for the teams to show what they have accomplished. The tournament also serves as a way to teach students about Iowa State and STEM-related fields.

“If you look 20 or 30 years out, we have a growing need for engineers in this country and around the world, and there’s less and less people who are graduating with engineering degrees and STEM-related careers,” Newendorp said. “So it’s really important to encourage kids to learn about what STEM fields are all about and how they could pursue a career in it.”

Newendorp and Tourek said they also hope the participants have fun.

“We really go for an atmosphere like a sporting event with a loud environment — crazy music going on, teams usually have their own costumes,” Newendorp said. “There’s a lot going on to make it an exciting, high-energy event.”