Thanks to Statewide Partners

Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics wishes to thank the following statewide partners:

• Governor's Office of Workforce Development
• Alabama Technology Network
• Friends of BEST in Alabama

The Alabama Technology Network coordinated a statewide grant through the Governor's Office of Workforce Development and administered by Friends of BEST in Alabama that benefits local BEST hubs in Alabama. 

Our local Alabama Technology Network center also works as part of our leadership team year round to assure that Northeast Alabama BEST is the best it can be. 

We thank these partners for being a part of Northeast Alabama BEST. 

New Sponsor: DeKalb County Home Builders Association

Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics is pleased to welcome the DeKalb County Home Builders Association as a new silver sponsor. Professional homebuilders, including the members of the DeKalb County HBA, are licensed, know what they are doing, and know how to work with you to get the job done. They are familiar with building codes and restrictions, and can give you expert advice about your particular project. You'll be much more comfortable if you rely on a professional for your building or remodeling project.

We thank Randy Wilson and all the members of the DeKalb County Home Builders Association for their support of Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics.

New Returnable Kits Ready? Yes They Are!

We received a shipment last week from Vex Robotics that
allowed us to prepare six new returnable kits for 2013. These kits were purchased from a grant provided by the Missile Defense Agency, and will allow us to accept 6 new teams into BEST Robotics this year.

The college has also ordered kits to replace those that were purchased last year by teams and to refurbish those that were turned in at the end of the 2012 season. Those supplies should be here soon.

Do you know of a school who wants to start a BEST team for 2013? It's not too late. Just have someone from the school to contact Mrs. Nicole Carroll at 256-228-6001, ext. 2254 or via email at carrolln@nacc.edu.

New BEST Kits Arriving

It's summer time and that means it is time for us to reorder kits and parts for the upcoming BEST season. Over the next several weeks stacks of boxes, like these, will be the norm around our office. What is inside? New returnable kits and spare parts, including batteries and motors.

This shipment is provided thanks to a grant from the Missile Defense Agency, which provided $5,550 to purchase 6 new kits and related supplies. Thanks to MDA STEM Outreach for their support of BEST Robotics and other STEM initiatives!

These new kits and supplies will be put to good use on September 21 at Kickoff.

Trussville Students Build Robotic Arm

Be sure to check out the AL.com article about Trussville students who build a prototype robotic arm for a quadriplegic. The article may be accessed here.



Congratulations to these students who used the type of skills you learn in BEST Robotics to improve lives.

NACC's Summer STEM Experience

Northeast Alabama Community College is pleased to announce its first Summer STEM Experience.

The college will sponsor three STEM activities on campus this summer:

For Grades 7-8 - Robotics Day Camp
Students in grades 7-8 can attend a week-long robotics day camp the week of June 3-7 (9 am - 4 pm). During this camp, students will learn to build, program, and operate simple robots. Participants will show off what they have learned during the week at a completion celebration held the evening of June 7. A field trip to a local industry will allow students to see industrial robots in action. The cost of the camp is $59, which includes lunches each day.

For Grades 9-10 - Manufacturing Day Camp

Rising freshmen and sophomores can attend a manufacturing day camp the week of June 3-7 (9 am - 4 pm) in which the student will be introduced to the world of manufacturing through hands-on projects, and site visits to manufacturing facilities. In addition, students will be introduced to basic entrepreneurial concepts and skills. Students will walk through the manufacturing process and will go home at the end of the week with a great project that they design and produce. The cost is $59, which includes lunches each day. This camp is co-sponsored by GH Metal Solutions, Fabricators and Manufacturers' Association (FMA) and the Nuts, Bolts, and Thingamajigs Foundation.

For Grades 10 - 12 - Dual Enrollment Robotics
For the second year, NACC will offer a dual enrollment class to prepare eligible students for the BEST Robotics competition in the fall. Students will study engineering, design, and manufacture of specific robotic components while meeting Monday nights during the summer. Students may obtain both college and elective high school credit for successful completion of this course. The cost of the course is $414; scholarship may be available to those who qualify.

For more information, visit this link where you may download a registration form.

Article About South's BEST Robot Competition Winner

Click this link to view an article about St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School in Tillman's Corner, AL (Jubilee BEST). This middle school team won first place in the robot competition in South's BEST.

Congratulations to St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School and kudos to AL.com and The Press-Register for highlighting BEST Robotics in this way!

Fyffe High Robotics Team in Times Journal

Here is a link to a photo of the Fyffe Robotics team in action in The Times Journal.

http://times-journal.com/news/article_8a41e51c-29f7-11e2-b116-0019bb2963f4.html?mode=image&photo=0

Fyffe and Marshall Tech Teams Prep for South's BEST

Winning teams from the Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics hub are making last minute preparations for South's BEST, to be held in Auburn December 1-2.

After winning first place in BEST Award and Robot Competition, Marshall Technical School will compete for the BEST Award at South's BEST. They have been busy making final adjustments to their robot as well as practicing their marketing presentation and honing robot driving skills.

Fyffe High School will compete in South's BEST for the first time. As second place BEST Award winner at Northeast Alabama BEST, Fyffe will compete in the BEST Award at South's BEST. They too are making last minute adjustments to their robot and are fine tuning their marketing presentation.

We wish both teams the BEST as they travel to Auburn this weekend for South's BEST!

Photos from Warp XX 2012 Coming Soon

Keep a watch for all the photos from Warp XX 2012 Game Day coming soon. Here is a preview of some intense pit action from a Pisgah High School team member.

Want to See Some Great Competition? Visit South's BEST

Some have asked if they can visit South's BEST as a spectator, to learn more about BEST and to make plans for next year. Absolutely! Here is the South's BEST website in which you may find the schedule for South's BEST. Come out and support our Northeast Alabama BEST teams while learning how your team can be more competitive next year.

Gangnam Style Robot

Can a robot dance Gangnam Style? Check out the video below to find out.



Read the whole story here. 

New Sponsor: Sand Mountain Electric Cooperative

Thanks to our newest sponsor, Sand Mountain Electric Cooperative. Sand Mountain Electric Cooperative is an electric distribution utility serving more than 30,000 consumers in portions of DeKalb, Jackson, Marshall and Cherokee counties. Organized in 1940 for the benefit of providing electric service to the people in rural areas at the lowest cost possible, the cooperative is also a working partner for economic and environmental growth in the communities it serves. We thank Sand Mountain Electric Cooperative for its support.

Reminder: Safety Cable

Remember that each robot must use the two provided eyebolts so that a safety cable may be attached. The eyebolts should be on opposite sides of the body so that the safety cable can run from eyebolt to eyebolt around the pole. Part of the compliance check will be suspending it from a safety cable attached to the eyebolts to verify the integrity of the attachment points.

Questions? Contact Nicole Carroll at carrolln@nacc.edu.

New Battery Connectors

Leave the white connector (left) plugged into the charger and cortex unit.

The new connectors for the Vex batteries have arrived. Nicole Carroll will be contacting each team leader over the next couple of weeks to trade out batteries with the new connectors for the ones that you received with the old connectors. All the batteries are new, so you won't be compromising power or quality by swapping out the batteries.

Here is what we are doing. The white connector is susceptible to failure after significant use. We are placing the red and black connectors between the battery and the white connector. Since you have two batteries you can leave one connector plugged into your cortex unit and one plugged into your charger. Keep them plugged in and disconnect/reconnect your batteries using the red and black connectors.

We will explain more when we drop off the batteries. Just be prepared to swap out your two old batteries for the two new ones with the improved connectors. As always, let us know if you have questions.

BEST 2012 is Underway!

Students, teachers, and mentors from 10 schools gathered at the Tom Bevill Lyceum on the Northeast Alabama Community College campus today to kick off the 2012 BEST season. Photos and videos will be posted in the coming days, but here is a quick look at the excitement generated by this year's Kick Off. 

Next event: Optional Training Day

Saturday, September 22, 2012

8:00 am until noon

NACC Industrial Systems Technology Building 

Workshops will be offered on soldering and wire connections and EasyC. 

Easy C Workshop - Bring a laptop loaded with EasyC if you would like to participate in the EasyC workshop.

Soldering Workshop - Bring your own soldering iron and solder. 

Please RSVP to Nicole Carroll if you plan to attend. 

Returnable Kits Prepared

Here's a sneak peek at one of our returnable kits. Each team will receive one of these, as well as all the consumable supplies, on Kick Off Day. It's just over a week away, and we are excited and preparing for a fun-filled Kick Off.

Teams should be sure that they sign up on Robot Events. We only have 12 slots  available for this year; registrations are taken on a first-come, first-served basis. If you have not yet signed up on Robot Events, please do so and contact Nicole Carroll to assure that your registration has been received.

Get ready for the countdown...

Summer ILT 180 Class in the News

Involved in the BEST Robotics prep course were (L-R, standing) Northeast IST/ILT Instructors Gary Hulslander and Dennis Lester; students Alejandro Orozco and Katie Dean from Fort Payne, and Collin Andrews from Geraldine; (seated) students Garrett Hall from Plainview, and Connor Blevins, Josh Simpson, Hayden Tilley and Sawyer Haney from Ider.

This article was written by Sherry Whitten and published in local newspapers:

DeKalb, Jackson and Marshall County students have the  opportunity to compete in a robotics competition this upcoming October. The competition is through the BEST Robotics program: Boosting Engineering Science and Technology. BEST is a national program  which inspires students to pursue careers in engineering, science, technology, and mathematics through participation in a sports-like science- and engineering-based robotics projects. Students in Grades 5-12 may compete.

Northeast Alabama Community College is serving as the district hub for the BEST program. “We are very pleased to help organize and sponsor the BEST Robotics competition,” stated Dr. David Campbell, NACC President. “As a college we want to encourage students to go into these science and technology fields and being a partner with local schools is a way to accomplish this. We at Northeast are emphasizing these careers and in fact soon will begin construction on a new mathematics, science, and engineering technician building on campus.”

Workforce Development Director Mike Kennamer is the Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics Hub Director. “We encourage schools to contact the district hub and create a team for the competition.” Kennamer noted that the BEST Steering Committee members are local business and industry representatives who see the impact the program can have long-term on the area and the future of the northeast Alabama workforce.

This past summer, local high school students participated in a BEST Robotics Prep Course. The students earned dual enrollment college credit and received training to prepare for the BEST Robotics competition. Topics covered include basic safety, basic DC electronics, servo motors, materials selection, mechanical principles, problem solving and engineering processes. Dr. Campbell stated, “We were pleased to provide this course for the dual enrollment students this summer taught by Industrial Systems and Industrial Electronics Instructor Dennis Lester.”

The Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics Kick-off Day is scheduled for Saturday, September 15 in the NACC Lyceum. The actual competition is scheduled for Saturday, October 27. Local winners will advance to the regional competition at Auburn University in December.

Dr. Kennamer stated that the Northeast Alabama BEST needs volunteers, mentors and businesses to become involved and that assistance from the community greatly will be appreciated. The Northeast Alabama BEST program initially was funded through state workforce grants and financial support from Northeast, including NACC personnel who are working with the project.

For additional information, please contact Dr. Mike Kennamer at college extension 2291, or email kennamerm@nacc.edu. For additional college information, go to www.nacc.edu or download our free App at the Apple App Store or by going to www.naccmobile.com.