Three Eden Hall Students Win 1st at FIRST LEGO League Championship

Three Eden Hall students placed first with their team at the PA State FIRST LEGO League Challenge Championship on February 15 in Hershey.

Sixth-grader Shruti Visveish and fifth-graders Max Hermeling and Hans Shah, along with their team, Pittsburgh pi-rates, won first place over 36 other teams for their innovation project solution. 

This season’s challenge tasked the team with addressing an issue faced by ocean explorers and chose to focus on plastic pollution in the ocean. In collaboration with Pittsburgh Water Authority and Allegheny Cleanways, they identified a unique problem: the lack of vertical grates for storm drains causing plastic pollution in rivers that lead into the ocean. Using TinkerCAD, the team developed an innovative design and worked closely with experts to refine it. They are now exploring ways to 3D print a solution using reusable concrete, aiming to provide a cost-effective solution for the city.

Their state win has earned the team an invitation to the FIRST LEGO League Florida Sunshine Invitational in June in Daytona Beach, Florida. More than 2,500 participants from 96 teams, 24 countries and 44 states will compete at the international event.

This rookie team earned their spot in the state championship by placing first in Innovation Project Solution and fifth in Robot Performance at the Western PA Regional Championship in December, competing against 76 teams.