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Robots Galore! As I write this blog, I’m on way home from giving a keynote at the BEST (Boosting Engineering Science and Technology) Robotics conference at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. As my plane moves smoothly over hundreds of miles, I’m continually impressed with the commitment of the program teachers, coordinators, volunteers, and industry advocates. The potential of robotics as a tool for creating interest in STEM and for doing great things in the world is almost unlimited. Any student interested in robotics can be involved in changing the world as we know it. Robots are being used to explore the oceans, blow up blood clots in arteries, care for the elderly, investigate toxic areas, aid the military, assemble a large variety of things in manufacturing plants, explore Mars and much more. Robots are an excellent vehicle for students to ride into the future. Personally, I’m excited about the day they can be full-time house-keepers too. BEST is entering its 17th year and is a totally volunteer organization. Industry and academic coaches act as mentors for the students, encouraging and guiding them as they design and build their robots. In the BEST process, students remain the primary decision-makers and builders. BEST has five new hubs starting this year and hub growth looks very promising for 2010 and beyond. This fall, they will have about 750 schools, over 11,000 students, and over 3500 volunteers participating. Educators value the project-based learning experience BEST provides students. Teams are organized geographically into "Hubs" consisting of at least eight schools. The BEST program is made possible through a collaboration of teachers, technical mentors, corporate and academic hub volunteers, and funding sponsors. Each hub depends on a business, university, or other organization willing to coordinate area teams. Funding is obtained from local sponsors. Six weeks before the competition, the teams gather for Kick Off Day in early September at local hub sites where they receive identical kits of equipment (motors, r/c unit, batteries, etc.) and raw materials from which to build their machines, and a detailed set of game rules. The machines they build cannot weigh more than 24 pounds, must fit within a 24-inch cube, and must be built only from the raw materials supplied to them by the local hub. Get involved! This is a fantastic way to get students excited and interested in engineering. Posted by Celeste Baine on June 22, 2009 Talkback From Jonathan - Botball has some similarities. But no remote control, so you have to learn some actual programming! - focused on High School and Middle school kids. robots are an Excellent hands on way for kids to learn! Posted on August 13, 2009 at 10:32 pm PST Comments are disabled for posts older than 6 months. |
