THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Nov. 14, 2012) The public is invited to watch fourth- through eighth-graders compete at a FIRST LEGO League Robotics Qualifying Tournament from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, at California Lutheran University.

Twenty-eight teams from local schools will bring the robots they designed to the CLU-sponsored event to compete for a spot at the regional competition, which will be held later in December.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring young people’s interest in science and technology. Its LEGO League program challenges 9- to 14-year-old students to build LEGO-based robots tocomplete specific tasks.

“Senior Solutions” is the theme for this year’s event in which students build robots to aid senior citizens. Teams will give presentations on the topic as part of the competition.

Volunteers are needed to assist with registration, setup, coordination, judging and refereeing. Robotics experience is not necessary.

The free event will be held in the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center, which is on the north side of Olsen Road near Campus Drive in Thousand Oaks.

For more information, contact Bob Rumer at rrumer@callutheran.edu or 805-377-8369. For more information on FIRST, visit http://www.usfirst.org.