This past year I was a mentor and coach to my (eldest) son's FIRST LEGO Mindstorms competition. It was fantastic! I highly recommend it!
The competition recognized excellence in many areas; not just the "robot arena". As part of the competition we did a science research project. Arlene Lantz, a wonderful teacher and fellow FLL mentor helped the kids hook up with a local project that the team researched and reported on. Please visit to learn more about Acid Mine Drainage.
Our community also sponsors the FIRST Robotics team which I look forward to participating in more fully when my son is eligible. PBS has an interesting article on it.