MEDIA ADVISORY: Mississippi BEST Robotics Competition
October 19, 2010
Contact: Eric Heiselt
Tel: 662.325.1360
Email: outreach@bagley.msstate.edu
What: Mississippi BEST Robotics Competition
When: November 5, 2010 5pm – 8 pm; November 6, 2010 9 am – 5 pm
Where: McCarthy Gym on the campus of Mississippi State University
GAME DAY competition for The Mississippi BEST robotics program begins Saturday, November 6. Friday evening is reserved for registration, robotic practice and a special awards judging competition.
Created to boost student interest in science engineering and technology, Mississippi BEST is an annual robotics contest that exposes high school students to the concepts of engineering and technology. Student teams are given a box of raw materials and a six-week deadline to build and operate a remote-controlled robot that performs a given task. The challenge is to design a robot with only the given raw materials, which heightens the level of competition and fosters critical thinking, brainstorming and emotional intelligence skills.
Educational experts state that students involved in the BEST program are introduced to industry professionals who mentor and demonstrate engineering and scientific methods through this hands-on, fun, sports-like competition. Winners advance to the South’s BEST regional competition held at Auburn University.
There is no charge to the students or the schools to participate in the BEST program. BEST Robotics is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization whose mission is to engage, excite, and inspire middle and high school students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers through participation in a sports-like, six-week long robotics competition. Started in 1993 as a competition for 14 area schools in rural North Texas, BEST has become the largest school-based robotics competition in the U.S. and the only one that is free to schools; there are no registration or participation fees. This fall, over 850 schools, 12,500 students, and 4500 volunteers are participating at 39 licensed competition sites in 15 states. Over 40 community colleges, technical schools, and universities are actively involved in the program each year.
For more information regarding the competition, please visit: http://www.msbest.msstate.edu
Editors Note:
Schools enrolled for competition for the 2010 season include: East Rankin Academy-Pelahatchie, MS; Lausanne Collegiate School- Memphis, TN; Starkville Christian Home Educators- Starkville, MS; Starkville Christian School- Starkville, MS; Holy Cross School-New Orleans, LA; Holly Springs High School- Holly Springs, MS; Oak Grove High School- Hattiesburg, MS; Center Hill High School- Olive Branch, MS; Newton County Career and Technical Center- Decatur, MS; Newton County High School/Middle School- Decatur, MS; Long Beach High School- Long Beach, MS; Choctaw County Career and Technology- Ackerman, MS; Sacred Heart School- Southaven, MS; Hollandale School District/ High School and Middle School- Hollandale, MS; Horn Lake High School- Horn Lake, MS
2010 Sponsor/Investors of the MS BEST Robotics Competition include: Mississippi Manufacturing Association- Jackson, MS; Caterpillar- Corinth, MS Sleep Innovations- Baldwyn, MS; Canton Nissan; and EPSCoR-(Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research); and the Bagley College of Engineering at Mississippi State University.