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The objective of robotics competitions, such as FIRST LEGO® League (FLL®), is to create a tournament that promotes high-level engineering and academic engagement in students by providing the most rewarding experience possible for the largest group of students. To increase the number of students age 9-14 successfully participating in FLL® from public schools, and to concurrently increase the diversity of the pool of student participants, the Georgia FLL® organizers have implemented a number of interventions. These interventions can be grouped into A) Centralized policy decisions that impact how the program is run at the state level; B) Outreach activities that provide low-income teams with training and supplies; C) Promotion of LEGO® Mindstorm use within the actual school curriculum; and D) Partnerships with school systems to promote after-school FLL® robotics clubs. This chapter reviews these efforts and their effect on tournament diversity.

She has been with CEISMC since 1996 developing and managing university-K-12 educational partnership programs and assisting Georgia Tech faculty in creating K-12 educational outreach initiatives. Before coming to CEISMC, Marion earned her Ph.D. in Biophysics from the Johns Hopkins University and taught biology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

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Mike Ryan is research faculty at the Georgia Institute of Technology's Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC). Mike has expertise in the design and use of projectbased learning (PBL) to facilitate standards-based learning.-Mike is the Co-PI for the NSF-funded project Science Learning Integrating Design, Engineering and Robotics (SLIDER), overseeing curriculum design, teacher learning and research strategy. The project investigates the integration of engineering in science classes to facilitate physics learning.-Mike is senior personnel for another NSF project, AMP-IT-UP, that is studying STEM integration. He designs curriculum, PD, and strategy for the project.-Mike is active in designing and researching online learning courses in PBL for educators. Mike has also previously taught secondary science in public schools. Mr. Jeffrey H Rosen, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAfter 14 years in the middle and high school math and engineering classroom where Mr. Rosen was working on the integration of engineering and robotics into the teaching of the core curricula classrooms. He has now been at Georgia Tech's CEISMC for the past 8 years working on curriculum development and research on authentic STEM instruction and directing the state's FIRST LEGO League competition program. Mr. Rosen has authored or co-authored papers and book chapters that address issues of underrepresented populations participation in engineering programs and the integration of robotics and engineering into classroom instruction. Jayma Koval, Georgia Institute of TechnologyJayma Koval is a Teacher in Residence at Georgia Tech's Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC). In this role she has developed middle school science curriculum and assessments for NSF funded projects. Previously, Jayma was a middle school science teacher for 10 years and coordinator of her school's Science Olympiad team. Sabrina Grossman, CEISMC: Georgia TechI am currently a Program Director in Science Education at Georgia Tech's Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC), which is a K-12 STEM outreach center for the university. I am working on several exciting projects including working with the STEM Incubator as Problem Based Learning Specialist and teaching an online course in Project-Based Inquiry Learning. I also work on the SLIDER team developing curriculum to teach physical science with robotics and designing teacher materials to support the implementation of that curriculum. Lastly, I work on the AMP-IT-UP project, which is a NSF Foundation Math and Science Partnership to promote workforce development and to identify and cultivate the next generation of creative STEM innovators. Through my participation in this project, I assist in writing middle school science modules and supporting teachers in their implementation. The Science Learning Integrating Design, Engineering and Robotics (SLIDER) project at the Georgia Institute of Technology is in the 5 th year of devel...