“Climate Connections” is the theme of the 2009 LEGO League challenge sponsored by the organization founded by well-known inventor Dean Kamen — FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology).

Teams of children ages 9 to 14 in 40 countries are challenged to research climate and use robotics in climate-based tournaments. In the project part of the challenge, teams will research how climate affects their own community, identify a local climate problem, analyze climate data, and discover what their community is doing. Then teams will find another community somewhere in the world with the same issue, identify any solutions, and finally create a community solution. The robot game gives missions to robots, such as burying carbon dioxide or extracting an ice core sample.

After qualifying events and championship tournaments, winners have the chance to participate in the FIRST Championship on April 16-18, 2009, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

FIRST also offers a program for 6 to 9 year olds based on the Climate Connections challenge for older children. There is a $25 fee per team. Children investigate the theme, according to specific instructions, document on a poster how they researched and what they learned, and build a model, incorporating a moving part, from LEGO pieces. The children’s work is expected to be featured at local events.

Inventor Dean Kamen holds more than 440 patents, many of them for medical devices, such as the first insulin pump for diabetics. He is also the inventor of the self-balancing, electric-powered Segway. In 1989 he founded FIRST to motivate children to learn about science and technology.