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Gecko Geeks, the winning team.
- Photo by Spencer Scott, university photographer

KC NanoBlasters, the runners up, with their teachers
- Photo by Jonathan Stott

LEGO® Prize cups
- Photo by Jim Higham

Robot performance competition
- Photo by Paul Osborne

Published 28 November 2006
by Maggie Bowman

Three months detailed preparation paid off as teams of secondary school pupils across Kent competed in the FIRST LEGO® League competition at the University of Kent. Overall winners "Gecko Geeks", from St Anselm's Catholic School, were elated after a nail-biting competition full of outstanding performances.

The theme for this year's event, which was launched at the university on the 19th September, was Nano Quest, with each team exploring traditional sciences at the molecular level to uncover the amazing potential within them to create new products and solutions previously unimaginable.

The teams used LEGO programmable bricks to build and program a robot to accomplish fantastic missions in a fun team environment. The teams also presented their own creative applications of how nanotechnology could be used to improve people's lives.

Over 7000 teams are taking part worldwide. St. Anselm's, as winners of the Kent regional final, and runners up Kent College will go on to the National Finals at Birmingham University on 27 January 2007.

The awards were presented by

• Toni Clarke, Director of Setpoint KM
  - sponsor of Robot Design Award
• Sue Fundrey, IBM
• Roger Burnett, BCS
  - sponsor of Robot Performance Award
• Professor David Melville, Vice Chancellor of the University of Kent
• Professor Simon Thompson, Head of the Computing Laboratory at Kent
  - sponsor of Judges Special Award

The results were as follows:

Champions of the Kent regional Finals

1. "Gecko Geeks" from St Anselm's Catholic School, Canterbury

"Nano Quest" Presentation Award

1. "KC NanoBlasters" from Kent College, Canterbury
2. "MGGS" from Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Team Spirit

1. "Brockhill Robotic Team" from Brockhill Park Performing Arts College, Hythe

Teamwork Award

1. "The Funky Monkeys" from Gravesend Grammar School for Boys

Robot Design Award

1. "Langton Lions" from Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, Canterbury
2. "Manwood Maniacs" from Sir Roger Manwood's School, Sandwich

Robot Performance Award

1. "North School Cybernetics Corporation" from The North School, Ashford
2. "KC NanoBlasters" from Kent College, Canterbury

Robot Dependability Award

1. "QEGS" from Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Faversham

Newcomers Award

1. "The ORCs" from Oakwood Park Grammar School, Maidstone

Judges Special Award

1. "The LEGO Ladies" from Dartford Technology College

The event took place at the University of Kent's Sports Centre (Canterbury campus) on Tuesday 28th November.

Sponsored by SETPOINT Kent and Medway, and the Kent Branch of the British Computer Society.

Fun activities at Nano Quest