Rhode Island Students of the Future

FIRST® LEGO® League
An international competition for elementary and middle school students (ages 9–14) designed to get children interested in and excited about science, technology and engineering. Every year, FIRST releases a new challenge that engages the FIRST LEGO League teams in hands-on robotics design and scientific research. See the schedule here.

Want to volunteer? Click here.

See media coverage of FIRST LEGO League Rhode Island

Our State Championship is Jan. 11, 2020 at Roger Williams University's Recreation Center!

Congratulations to the 36 teams who competed in the First LEGO League Rhode Island State Championship on Saturday, January 11! The judges had a very difficult time determining the awards because all of the teams were well-prepared and enthusiastic!

Award winners are:

1st Place Champions Award, 1st place Robot Performance, FIRST Global Innovation Award: 37524 Planet Robotics FLL team #37524, community team, North Attleboro

2nd Place Champions Award: 11702 AIR Strike Omega, Aquidneck Island Robotics, Newport

Rising Star: 38122 City Girls, Ella Risk School, Central Falls

Project Research: 9898 [INSERT NAME HERE], Aquidneck Island Robotics, Newport

Project Innovative Solution: 11447 Robo Mariners, Rocky Hill Country Day School, East Greenwich

Project Presentation: 26149 Cosmic Strike, Aquidneck Island Robotics, Newport

Robot Mechanical Design: 41510 Elements, Community Team, Barrington

Robot Programming Award: 19126 Team Green, Lincoln School, Providence

Robot Strategy & Innovation: 4361 Circuit Breakers, Aquidneck Island Robotics, Newport

Robot Performance 1st place: 37524 Planet Robotics FLL team #37524, Community Team, North Attleboro

Robot Performance 2nd place: 1305 Magnetech, Riverside Middle School, East Providence (335 pts)

Core Values Inspiration: 33758 S.M.A.R.T. St. Mary Academy - Bay View, Riverside

Core Values Teamwork: 37160 St. Luke's Catholic School, Diocese of Providence, Barrington

Core Values Gracious Professionalism:
12394 Street Lights Done Right, St. Philomena School, Portsmouth

Robot Block Party
The Robot Block Party celebrates the cool work in robotics being done in industry, colleges and universities, K-12 schools and community groups.

Rhode Island Students of the Future (RISF) believes it's imperative to follow the guidance from the Governor and the RI Department of Health, and has canceled the 7th annual Robot Block Party event to help slow the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus.

The Robot Block Party was scheduled for April 4, 2020, at the Waterfire Arts Center in Providence.

The Robot Block Party is one of RISF's showcase events. It's been featured in Fodor's New England and received a Rhode Island Monthly "Best of Rhode Island" award. Supported by National Grid, the Textron Charitable Trust and the City of Providence Art, Culture and Tourism, the Robot Block Party attracts more than 3000 spectators annually by creating an atmosphere of active participation and action learning. The charm of the event is the unbridled enthusiasm of the spectators, young and old, as they interact with our amazing exhibitors, who range from a team of 6-year-olds demonstrating a LEGO robot to HASBRO toy designers to distinguished university faculty, such as Dr. Stefanie Tellex from Brown University's Humans to Robots Lab and Dr. Kunal Mankodiya of the University of Rhode Island's Wearable Biosensing Lab.

"Sadly, what made the event so successful--the ability to touch and explore robots of all shapes and sizes and talk with thousands of robotics enthusiasts of all ages--is also what could make it a vector site for the Corona virus." said Mary Johnson, a member of the RISF Board of Directors and Producer of the Robot Block Party. "We did not want to risk the health of our community, or of the residents of Rhode Island"

Rhode Island Students of the Future is a volunteer-driven organization, and in the fall, the organization will focus its energy on the 20th annual FIRST LEGO League season, which puts robots in the hands of nearly 1,000 students in Kindergarten through 8th grade. RISF intends to produce the Robot Block Party again in the spring of 2021.

Please stay in touch by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Until we meet again, stay healthy, and keep washing your hands!

See us on The Rhode Show!

Professional Development and Online Resources
RISF has collected a range of Robotics Curricula and Lesson Plans using LEGO EV3 and NXT which may be of use to teachers, team leaders, parents and students with an interest in LEGO robotics. .

Support Rhode Island Students of the Future

Looking for FIRST LEGO League Tournament Results? Click here!
Check out the Media Coverage of RISF!

Can't find the answer to your questions? Email RISF

RISF in action—photos from recent programs

Our Mission
Rhode Island Students of the Future inspires young people to be science and technology leaders by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build STEM skills, inspire innovation and foster well-rounded life skills including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.

Rhode Island Students of the Future (RISF) is primarily known for running three programs, The Robot Block Party, FIRST® LEGO® League and FIRST LEGO League Jr. All of these programs engage students with inquiry-based, hands-on science, technology, engineering and math while developing their ability to communicate and work in teams.

Rhode Island Students of the Future is registered as a non-profit with the State of Rhode Island, and is a 501(c)(3) charity. Your donations to RISF (DBA FIRST LEGO League Rhode Island) are tax deductible as allowed by law. Make a donation today!

Click here to see our season of events for 2019-20

Would you like to read our Impact Report? Email mary.johnson@risf.net and request a copy.