The North Texas champs are now national champs. A group of sixth and seventh graders known as the “Texarkana College Bionic Bulldogs” are the winners of the 2011 Judges Award for Innovative Solution at the national FIRST LEGO® League competition at California’s LEGOLAND®.

1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Jennifer Whitus,
Communications Manager
214-426-4629
jwhitus@natureandscience.org
TEXAS’ ROBOTICS CHAMPS WIN AT NATIONALS
Local FIRST® LEGO® League Compete in California May 21-22, Thanks to
Support from Perot Foundation, Museum of Nature & Science
DALLAS, Texas (June 1, 2011) – The North Texas champs are now national
champs. A group of sixth and seventh graders known as the “Texarkana College Bionic
Bulldogs” are the winners of the 2011 Judges Award for Innovative Solution at the
national FIRST® LEGO® League competition at California’s LEGOLAND®.
The Bulldogs were previously declared the overall tournament winners of the 2010
North Texas FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) robotics competition by the Museum of
Nature & Science at the Finals Tournament held Saturday, January 29 at the Hockaday
School in Dallas. That win qualified them to compete in the Finals tournament May
21-22 in California.
Their trip to the national contest was made possible by donations from the Perot
Foundation, Texarkana College Foundation and the Museum of Nature & Science.
During the annual “Chairman’s Night at the Museum” event on April 7, the Museum of
Nature & Science presented the Bulldogs team with a check for $3,000 and made a
request to other Museum constituents for additional support to fund the trip. The
responses came quickly – $4,000 from the Perot Foundation and $3,000 from the
Texarkana College Foundation.
“I’m very impressed with the young people who are part of the Texarkana Bulldogs,
(cont.)

2. FIRST® LEGO® League National Win, page 2
and I’m excited to hear they won the Judges Award at the national FIRST® LEGO®
League championships,” says Ross Perot, namesake of the Perot Foundation. The
prominent technology icon personally met with the Bulldogs prior to their California trip.
“They’re extremely bright, curious and inventive, and they work well as a team, which is
really important. These outstanding students are going to be our next generation of
science leaders, and I’m very proud that they represented Texas in the national
championships.”
“This is such a blessing,” says Kathleen White, the Bulldogs’ coach. “We are all so
excited. I've worked with robotics programs for over five years, and every year is better
than the last. This is my first champion team. These kids worked harder than any group
I've ever worked with. They became best of friends, learned so much, have met so many
wonderful people and had such a great time doing it.”
Designed to introduce the fundamentals of engineering, the FIRST® LEGO® League is
a competition where teams of students race robots they’ve built from LEGO® blocks and
programmed themselves. The robots are put through obstacle courses and challenged
with various tasks. The students then square off in a battle of wits by completing and
presenting an accompanying research project. The theme for the 2010 FLL was “Body
Forward,” which was incorporated in both the robotics obstacle course and the research
pursuit. The Bionic Bulldogs beat out more than 100 other teams during several rounds
of competition to win their North Texas championship.
“In our efforts to support our mission we strive to provide every opportunity possible
to engage North Texans in top-quality science experiences,” says Steve Hinkley, director
of education for the Museum of Nature & Science. “The choice to have MNS support the
FLL team comes from our belief that we have an obligation to support the next
generation of scientists and engineers as best we can – whether this is accomplished
through providing great programs, financial support or a combination of the two.
Under the Museum’s direction since 2008, the FLL contest has grown from 20 teams
to 125 teams in the three years it’s been held in North Texas. The FIRST® mission
(cont.)

3. FIRST® LEGO® League National Win, page 3
statement goes hand-in-hand with MNS’ mission statement of “inspiring minds through
nature and science” and aligns with the Museum’s goal to encourage youth to pursue
careers in math and science. Registration for 2011 FLL is currently underway. The new
theme is “Food Factor” and North Texas qualifiers will be held on December 3 and 10.
Details on the upcoming contests and registration are available online at
www.natureandscience.org.
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About the Museum of Nature & Science
The Museum of Nature & Science – the result of a unique merger in 2006 between the
Dallas Museum of Natural History, The Science Place and the Dallas Children's Museum
– is an AAM- accredited non-profit educational organization located in Dallas's Fair
Park. In support of its mission to inspire minds through nature and science, the museum
delivers exciting, engaging and innovative visitor experiences through its education,
exhibition, and research and collections programming for children, students, teachers,
families and life-long learners. The facility also includes the TI Founders IMAX® Theater
and a cutting-edge digital planetarium. The Museum of Nature & Science is supported in
part by funds from the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, the Texas Commission
on the Arts and HP. The Museum of Nature & Science also is building a new $185-
million museum on a 4.7-acre site in Victory Park to complement the Fair Park facilities.
To learn more about the Museum of Nature & Science, please visit natureandscience.org.