Bill > HCR159

This Concurrent Resolution congratulates the Westford School Periodic Pandas, a team of students, for being selected as semifinalists in the FIRSTLEGO League Global Innovation Award competition. FIRSTLEGO League (FLL) is an international program established by the nonprofit organization FIRST and the LEGO Group, which encourages young people to use science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to solve real-world problems, emphasizing learning and respect over winning. The Periodic Pandas' project, BeeFinder.org, is a software solution designed to identify and help develop habitats for native bees, which are facing declining populations, by utilizing open data sources like satellite imagery and GIS maps. Their advancement to the semifinalist stage, from a competition involving teams from 30 countries, means they will travel to Washington, D.C., for the championship where winning teams can receive significant research grants to further their projects.