From June 4–6, Georgia Tech’s Exhibition Hall transformed into a showcase of creativity, engineering, and teamwork as 48 FIRST LEGO League Challenge teams from across the United States and around the world gathered for the inaugural Georgia Ramblin’ Robots Invitationals.
The three-day event welcomed students ages 9-16, along with coaches, mentors, and families. More than 700 attendees from 17 states and 24 countries participated. As one of nine international FIRST LEGO League events held at the conclusion of the “UnEarthed” season, the invitational brought together top-performing teams that advanced through previous competitions.
Georgia Tech has long served as an affiliate partner for FIRST LEGO League. Building on that work, Timothy Cone, senior director of the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC) on the Savannah campus, led the successful bid to bring a world-level invitational to Atlanta. For nearly two decades, CEISMC has supported FIRST LEGO League across Georgia, including coordinating regional events and hosting the state championship.
“We saw this as an opportunity to welcome students from around the world to Georgia Tech and create an experience that reflects the scale and significance of their work,” said Cone, who serves as the co-program delivery partner for FIRST LEGO League Challenge in Georgia. “Hosting the invitational allowed us to combine high-level competition with exposure to a university environment focused on access, innovation, and community engagement.”
This year’s “UnEarthed” theme challenged students to explore archaeology through research, problem-solving, coding, and engineering. Students programmed LEGO robots to complete archaeology-inspired missions in timed matches. Teams followed the engineering design process to build, code, test, and refine their robots. They prepared their robots to complete as many missions as possible in 2.5-minute rounds, earning points for each successful mission.
Teams also participated in innovation projects, investigating real-world challenges faced by archaeologists and developing creative solutions. Students used their research, design, and communication skills to present their ideas, including robot designs, to a panel of judges and explain how their solutions could make a meaningful impact.
Beyond the competition, teams explored Georgia Tech’s campus through tours of The Hive Makerspace and the Robotarium and visited the Georgia Aquarium. They also attended an undergraduate admission presentation highlighting the college search and application process. The weekend concluded with an awards ceremony recognizing teams across multiple categories and highlighting both technical excellence and teamwork.
Competition Manager Jorge Hernandez Cervantes said hosting an international event of this scale creates opportunities to connect Georgia Tech with students who are already immersed in robotics and the engineering design process. Through his work co-leading GoSTEM, an outreach program and partner school network, he has seen firsthand how early experiences on a college campus can influence students' educational pathways.
“We want students to feel like they belong here,” Hernandez Cervantes said. “For many, this was their first interaction with a university, and we wanted it to be memorable and inspiring. By offering a multi-day experience, we created an event that celebrates STEM while supporting Georgia Tech’s commitment to providing students with early exposure to STEM and expanding pathways into STEM majors and careers.”
For many teams, the most meaningful part of the weekend was the opportunity to connect with other young innovators from different cultures. Participants highlighted the excitement of exploring Georgia Tech’s campus, experiencing a new city, and building connections with fellow students and mentors.
Coaches also emphasized the personal growth students experienced through FIRST LEGO League. Spyros Kourias, coach of Greece’s Talodia team, has watched students develop through five years of FIRST LEGO League competitions. "It’s been rewarding to see them grow up, develop their skills, and interact with teams from all over the world," he said.
Christina McCarthy Burger, coach of Wisconsin’s Gram Gram Jones and the Drippy Stones team, said the invitational reflected months of hard work and preparation.
"This international-level opportunity is so rewarding and exciting because the team worked so hard all the way through sectionals, regionals, and state competition,” she said. “It's been wonderful to watch this friendly, funny, clever, smart team of kids develop their skill sets to get to be here!”