FLL is an international program created by inventor Dean Kamen to promote science, technology, engineering, and math among children ages 9-14. FLL events consist of ​3 components:

• A ​robot game, where team members build and program LEGO robots to ​solve various missions;
• A ​project, where they research a problem of their choice related to the year​'s​ theme​;
• Core Values, where they learn to work as a team and to compete in a spirit of friendly "coopertition."​

​FLL is meant as an opportunity for children to learn science and technology, teamwork, project management, decision-making, and other important tools they'll need to succeed in the professional world. MySTEM Academy focuses on mentoring the children to succeed, not on winning a​n award. Winning is a consequence of how much effort the children invest in solving the ​robot game, conducting and presenting the ​project, and practicing core values.

ArtiFISHal Intelligence (AI), the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) team of North Allegheny middle school students Bryan Chen, Raj Ginde, Shomik Telang, Abhi Yarlagadda  and Coleman Walsh; Pine Richland middle school students Luke Kastner, Ryan Scott, and Matt Farmar; and Seneca Valley middle school student Lucas Boyle won one of the Champion's Awards at the January 13th Western PA regional championship. The team is now headed to the FIRST LEGO League Razorback Invitational in Arkansas on May 17-20, where it will compete with teams from all over the world. The team worked 5 hours per week for 7 months under the guidance of adult mentors Maria Yamanaka and Marcel Bergerman from MySTEM Academy.

Eighty teams from the region participated in the 2-day event, where teams are judged on their robot design, research project, and adherence to FLL's core values; and compete in 4 rounds of a robot game where their robot must solve 18 missions in 2.5 minutes completely autonomously (i.e., without remote control).

This year’s theme, Hydrodynamics, challenged teams to propose innovative solutions to how we find, transport, use, and dispose of water. AI proposed a low-cost innovative shower head to reduce stagnant water in shower heads in hospitals and therefore eliminate the growth of dangerous bacteria that can infect sick patients. The A.W.E.S.O.M.E., or AI Water Elimination System Of Major Excellence, can result in savings of 5.8 million gallons of water every year in the 4 hospitals AI visited in the Pittsburgh area in 2017. One of the hospitals in Pittsburgh intends to test the A.W.E.S.O.M.E. shower head when the prototype is manufactured.

The AI team also fundraised $1,300 to help Aliquippa Elementary School rookie team Quip-Bots participate in the FLL season. AI team members dedicated over 100 hours mentoring the Quip-Bots, both in person and via teleconference. With the support of team AI, Quip-Bots won 1^st place award in Research Presentation and placed 9^th in the robot game.

This is what the judges said about the AI robot: “… robust and solid, with gears sliding quickly into place for large, one-piece attachments. Good use of gyro sensor program to move straight to compensate for uneven weight distribution. Phenomenal documentation of season and all decisions made, including dates and details of weekly improvement in a line graph. Discussed design cycle improvements made during the season. Extremely well done!”