Livingston Robotics Club based in Livingston, New Jersey was started in August 2007 when the very first Livingston NJ FIRST LEGO League (FLL) team Landroids was formed. By the end of 2008, anticipating growth and future advance of older students into the high school level FIRST divisions, the Livingston Robotics Club (LRC) has formally became a part of the Healthy Community Healthy Youth of Livingston Initiative of Livingston, Inc. (HCHY). This enables the Club to structured as a community-wide, non-profit organization, and be eligible to receive corporate sponsorships and donations.
Livingston Robotics Club is operated by passionate parents as team coaches on a voluntary basis. Our mission is to provide a community-base, experience-sharing network to introduce Livingston area youth to robotics design and real-life science research, consistent with the vision of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). The Club is to inspire student’s interests in science, technology, engineering and math by engaging them in a parent/mentor-based program, that encourages innovative out-of-the-box thinking, and foster well-rounded life skills, such as self-confidence, time management, communication, teamwork and leadership. Club enrollment is open to all eligable students in the neighboring communities as long as their parents are willing and prepared to coach and mentor his/her child’s team. Each team is operated independently, but will have the benefit of sharing training resources and experiences, as well as being mentored by the Landroids.
In 2007, LRC consisted of 7 Landroids members, 2 coaches, and a group of dedicated team parents. Followed Landroids’ success in the first season, by the summer of 2010, LRC has expanded to include 1 FTC team, 8 FLL teams and 2 Jr. FLL teams, which consisted of 20 parent coaches, 60 students ranging from kindergarten to high school, covering Livingston, Morris Plains, South Orange, West Orange, East Hanover, Pine Brook, Kearney, Short Hills and Basking Ridge areas.
During the 2008 FLL season, 5 out of 7 FLL teams advanced to the NJ State tournament. Three out of the four LRC FLL teams received either the 1st place Champion’s award, or 2nd place robot performance, robot design or the research project category at the 2008 New Jersey State tournament. This represented an unprecedented high percentage of recognition given to any New Jersey town, organization or school district for such student-oriented activity. These teams’ successes are due to the combined efforts of hard-working student participants, dedicated volunteer coaches, as well as supportive team parents.
Due to the continuous Club expansion, Livingston Robotics Club has established a new Club website in the summer of 2010, separating out from the landroids.org team website. Click on the logo to get to our new Club page: http://www.livingstonrobotics.org/
