Droves of plastic robots will be descending on the ISU campus this weekend, as the annual FIRST Lego League tournament is set to begin.

The tournament is a state competition for children ages 9 to 14, which started as a partnership between For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, a non-profit organization that tries to make science, math and engineering fun for kids, and the Lego Company, said Jake Ingman, graduate assistant in mechanical engineering, who works on the planning team.

The tournament will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in Howe and Hoover Halls.

“The college [supports the event] because we see it as a way for students to get some engineering know-how in the middle grades,” said Camille Schroeder, program coordinator for engineering undergraduate programs.

Ingman said that the FIRST robotics competition was created to keep high school students interested in math, science and engineering as they decide what they want to do in college. The Lego League is a natural progression getting students involved even earlier to ensure they are interested in those technical fields before they get to high school.

“It’s a good way to make engineering fun, because a lot of times it’s not fun,” he said.

Every year the tournament has a specific challenge, or theme, that the robots will work to overcome. This year’s challenge is “No Limits.” Competitors have two and a half minutes to use Lego robotics technology to invent solutions to problems people may face in completing everyday activities.

“It’s about how engineering can basically help society, giving access to people of different physical abilities,” he said.

This year’s tournament is the largest Iowa State has held. Fifty teams from Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska will compete, with each team composed of up to 10 students, a coach and a mentor, Ingman said.

Last year there were about 1,000 people at Iowa State, with only 26 teams competing.

Ingman said that more than 160 ISU students have volunteered to help at the event.

In addition, Schroeder said that some engineering students are team mentors.

A mentor’s job is to guide the students and answer any questions they may have relating to the tournament, said Guadalupe Vera, senior in mechanical engineering and mentor of the Anson Latinos, a team from Anson Middle School in Marshalltown.

“The kids have gained a lot more confidence. They have also learned that engineering can be fun, and they have gained a greater understanding of what an engineer is and how they benefit society,” she said.

In addition to watching the robotics competition, there will be plenty to do at the tournament .

The insect zoo, scanning electron microscope, concrete canoe team, material science demonstration and the future FIRST Lego League area will be featured, Schroeder said.

“They call FIRST Lego League sports for the mind, and that’s exactly what we want to do,” she said. “So everywhere you go there’s something for you to think about, or look at, or take in or learn.”