Easy C Programming Workshop - June 12

The Easy C Programming Workshop will be taught by Engineering Technology Instructor Deni Adkins on June 12 from 9 am until 3 pm. The cost is free. Lunch will be provided. This workshop is the first in our STEM  Summer Workshop Series.

Anyone interested in learning to use Easy C is encouraged to attend and bring a laptop with Easy C loaded. Robots will be available for use so that you may test your programming skills on an actual robot.

The Summer STEM Workshop Series is open to students and adults, including mentors and teachers. This is a great time to get a head start on the competition season by learning your software in advance. 

The deadline to register is Friday, June 5. Click here to register.

Take Solidworks Workshop. Get a Free Copy of Solidworks to Take Home

Due to our sponsorship this year with the Nuts, Bolts and Thingamajigs Foundation, anyone who participates in the Summer STEM Workshop Solidworks session will receive a FREE copy of the student edition of Solidworks, compliments of Solidworks and the NBT Foundation.

To register for any of the STEM Workshops, scroll down below to see the registration information.

Reminder: Summer Workshop Registration Still Open

Registration is still open for the Summer STEM Workshop Series. As previously reported, Northeast Alabama Community College will sponsor a Summer STEM Workshop Series on various dates throughout the summer, intended to help students and teachers prepare for the 2015 BEST season. All workshops will be offered on the NACC campus and require participants to register in advance. Lunch will be provided by Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics for full-day workshops. There is no cost to attend any of these workshops. However, donations to help cover lunch costs will be accepted.

The following workshops are currently scheduled. Click on the links next to each to register. Everyone who attends must register.

• EasyC Programming - June 12 (9 am until 3 pm) Click here to register.
• Soldering - June 25 (9 am until 12 noon) Click here to register.
• Engineering Notebook, Marketing & Exhibit Booth - July 9 (9 am until 12 noon) Click here to register.
• Solidworks - July 20 (8 am until 3 pm) Click here to register.

Registration is open now, so be sure to register early. If you register and find that you will be unable to attend, please cancel your registration so that someone else may take that slot. 

BEST Regional Conference to be Held at Mississippi State

Mississippi BEST Robotics and Shelton's BEST Robotics have announced the 2015 BEST Robotics Regional Conference to be held July 31 and August 1 at Mississippi State University. See the flyer below for more information.

Simulink by Mathworks Licenses Available!

We have just been notified by Mathworks that year-long MATLAB and Simulink licenses are now available at no cost to BEST teams, students and teachers. Remember that Mathworks offers a great deal of free training on their products, which are available for both Mac and Windows operating systems. Having this software in  your students' hands early means that they will have more time to be familiar with it before kick off day.

To receive this free software license we request that you first register to compete in Northeast Alabama BEST. 


One teacher from each school should register for Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics competition by clicking on the registration link on the right margin of this page. You may then download the software by following the directions below, provided by Mathworks:

MathWorks is pleased to announce that we will provide your team with free access to MATLAB and Simulink. Simulink and its support for the VEX Cortex Microcontroller can be used for programming your BEST robot. 

Apply for a license and learn more about our support here.

(NOTE: Once we receive your application it will take us 72 business hours to process the request.)

Benefits of using Simulink with your BEST robot:

• Free access to Simulink for the whole year. 
• Ability to download the software on to your own laptop (both Windows and Mac) and for all team members 
• No other 3rd party tools/compilers are required along with Simulink 
•  No prior programming knowledge is required 
• Access to training and technical support    
• Ability to participate in the Simulink Design Award

To meet our agreement with Mathworks your team should be registered for the 2015 competition before you request your software. It's a very quick form, so please take a moment to register.

Summer Workshops Announced!

Northeast Alabama Community College will sponsor a Summer STEM Workshop Series on various dates throughout the summer, intended to help students and teachers prepare for the 2015 BEST season. All workshops will be offered on the NACC campus and require participants to register in advance. Lunch will be provided by Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics for full-day workshops. There is no cost to attend any of these workshops. However, donations to help cover lunch costs will be accepted.

The following workshops are currently scheduled. Click on the links next to each to register. Everyone who attends must register.

• EasyC Programming - June 12 (9 am until 3 pm) Click here to register.
• Soldering - June 25 (9 am until 12 noon) Click here to register.
• Engineering Notebook, Marketing & Exhibit Booth - July 9 (9 am until 12 noon) Click here to register.
• Solidworks - July 20 (8 am until 3 pm) Click here to register.

Registration is open now, so be sure to register early. If you register and find that you will be unable to attend, please cancel your registration so that someone else may take that slot.