PENDLETON — Originally set for last weekend, the seventh annual Tri-County Technical College FLL Regional Qualifying Tournament has been rescheduled for this Saturday from 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

The tournament will be held at the Marshall J. Parker Auditorium in Oconee Hall on the school’s Pendleton campus.

Hosted by Tri-County Technical College’s Engineering and Industrial Technology Division, the event was made possible through a generous donation from Robert Bosch LLC.

People may view the robot competition portion of the event live on ustream.tv.

Fifteen teams, representing students from Upstate public middle schools, home schools and private schools will compete in a regional qualifying event for FIRST LEGO League teams. Around 150 students, along with coaches and parents, are expected to attend.

FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is a program created by the FIRST organization. It introduces younger students to real-world engineering challenges by building LEGO-based robots to complete tasks on a thematic playing surface. FLL teams, guided by their imaginations and adult coaches, discover exciting career possibilities and, through the process, learn to make positive contributions to society.

In this year’s “Trash Trek” challenge, FLL teams were charged with identifying a problem with the way we make or handle trash. Next, they developed an innovative solution to address garbage and its environmental impact. The final part of the project is to share their findings with others.

The event is comprised of the robot game and team judging in the categories of robot design, research project and core values.

The FLL Core Values are the fundamental elements that distinguish FLL from other programs of its kind. Core Values emphasize contributions of others, friendly sportsmanship, learning and community involvement.

Awards will be given in five core areas: Champions Award (overall performance), Robot Performance, Robot Design, Project and Core Values. This year two supplemental awards will be give: a Rising Star award and an Against All Odds award.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an organization that seeks to create a world where science and technology are celebrated similar to a sports environment.

For more information, contact Scott Jaeschke at (864) 646-1682 or sjaeschk@tctc.edu.