#paydirt2015 Team Shout Out: Woodville High School

We are excited to have Woodville High School as part of Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics this year. Woodville's team is always competitive and do an excellent job with all aspects of the competition. We are thrilled to see another Woodville team on the playing field this year.

Registered, Have you?

Registered, have you???

Teachers: Click here to register!

 

 

 

 

Photo courtesy of JHayne on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.

#G8KPR Open Driving Practice Time Available

Thanks to the kindness of Mike Sweat and the staff at the Northeast Alabama Agribusiness Center in Rainsville, we are able to get in the facility early to set up and prepare for competition on Saturday.

That means that we will be able to offer practice time on Friday, November 1 from 10:00 am until 4:30 pm. Driving time will be allowed in 30 minute increments on a first come, first served basis. Teams who have already had driving practice time will be expected to yield the field to other teams if more than four are on site for practice at a given time. The facility will close promptly at 4:30 pm.

There will be no driving practice on Saturday morning.

BEST Hub Co-Director Attends Prototype Game

Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics hub co-director Nicole Carroll recently attended the BEST Robotics Prototype Game Weekend, held in Mobile, Alabama. During the weekend, Mrs. Carroll was able to get a first glimpse at the game field and read the game rules. A favorite part of the weekend is when hub staff from across the country are given the opportunity to place a robot on the field to test the field.

Please click on the folder on the right to see photos of the weekend events....NOT! It will all remain a closely guarded secret until September 21.

While it would be nice to have a head start on the competition, that wouldn't be fair. But we can give you a list of things you can do to prepare for BEST 2013:

• Learn your programming software. Teams will be given a copy of Mathworks software when they register. Dig into your programming software files to refresh your memory.
• While tasks always vary, robots are typically made up of just a few main components: a system to move the robot, and an arm/hand system that can manipulate and/or move an object. Last year's game threw everyone a curve ball since the movement was up, and not on the floor. Even in the absence of game details you can work on design ideas for these specific components.
• Organize your team. Who will do marketing? Who will be your programmer? These are things that can be determined in advance of kick off, and will be valuable in helping you to determine who will attend which sessions on kick off day.
• Visit the Jubilee BEST website, and check out bESTology. Jubilee BEST is the designer for this year's game, and one of their teams recently visited with the President of the United States, so don't you think we need to see what these guys are doing?

Get ready...September 21 will be here sooner than you think!

Ready to Register for 2013 BEST Robotics?

As crazy as it seems, BEST Robotics registration for Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics 2013 is just around the corner. Details regarding registration will be posted here beginning on May 6.

We will no longer use Robot Events, so there is no need to register there. Please stay tuned for more important information about the 2013 season.

Teams who competed last year will retain the same team numbers; new teams will receive a team number on kick off day.

2013 BEST Robotics Dates Set

After adjusting for BEST Robotics, Inc. criteria and venue availability, we are ready to lock in and announce the 2013 Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics dates and locations:

• Kick Off Day - Saturday, September 21, 2013 at NACC's Tom Bevill Lyceum
• Practice Day - Thursday, October 24, 2013 at Northeast Alabama Agri-Business Center (co-located with Made in DeKalb Expo)
• Game Day - Saturday, November 2, 2013 at Northeast Alabama Agri-Business Center

Tentative 2013 Dates Changed

Due to changes in available game days by Best Robotics, Inc. and the release of BEST Q&A, we have changed our tentative kickoff, practice, and game days. Once venues have been secured, these dates will be locked in. Keep an eye on list on the right side of the screen for any changes in dates.

Pisgah Robotics in The Daily Sentinel

Scottsboro's The Daily Sentinel recently published an article about Pisgah's Robotics team. Congratulations to Coach Gus Hembree and mentor Wayne Cummins, for some excellent publicity and for progress toward a year-round robotics class!

You can read the article here: http://thedailysentinel.com/news/article_c3d35c36-61a4-11e2-88a7-001a4bcf887a.html 

Kit Survey Available

Students, teachers and mentors who participated in Warp XX are asked to complete a brief survey regarding your kit for the 2012 game. This is not the same survey that asked you which parts you used and did not use. The survey may be accessed here. 

Please be sure to select Northeast Alabama BEST as your hub and complete this survey for the folks at BEST Robotics, Inc.

South's BEST Photos Posted

Photos from South's BEST have been posted to Northeast Alabama BEST's Flickr site. We have also added a Flickr slide show to our Photos page.

South's BEST Results

What a great weekend! The 2012 BEST Robotics season is officially over with the conclusion of South's BEST last evening. We are so proud of our Northeast Alabama BEST hub teams! They represented our area with class, dignity, and style.

In the seeding rounds, Marshall Technical School finished 10th, securing a spot in the semi-finals. Fyffe High School finished a very respectable 28th (out of 57). Due to the quality of their engineering notebook, Fyffe competed in the wild card round in which the 8 teams with the best engineering notebooks (that had not already advanced to the semi-finals) competed for two spots in the semi-finals. While Fyffe was not one of the teams that advanced to the semi-finals, they should be congratulated for a strong showing in their first South's BEST competition.

The top four teams in the semi-finals advance to the finals. Unfortunately, Marshall Technical School did not finish in the top four, but did take top honors for Most Robust Robot, meaning that of all 57 teams in the competition, their robot was selected as the one that was most dependable and trouble-free.

Here is the complete listing of awards:

BEST Award

• 1^st Place:  Cornerstone Christian Preparatory Academy (Wolverine BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Holy Cross (NOLA BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Decatur Austin Robotics Coalition (Tennessee Valley BEST)

 Robotics

• 1^st Place:  St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School (Jubilee BEST)   
•  2^nd Place: Holy Cross (NOLA BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Spain Park High School (Blazer BEST)
• Finalist:  Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science & Tech. (Georgia BEST)

 Middle School Awards

• BEST Award – Seaside Neighborhood Middle School (Emerald Coast BEST)
• Robotics – St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School (Jubilee BEST)

Project Engineering Notebook

• 1^st Place:  Faith Academy (Jubilee BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Wicksburg High School (Wiregrass BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Louis P. Slade Middle School (Connecticut BEST)

Marketing Presentation

• 1^st Place:  Spain Park High School (Blazer BEST)
• 2^nd Place: W.P. Davidson High School (Jubilee BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Cornerstone Christian Preparatory Academy (Wolverine BEST)

 Team Exhibit and Interview

• 1^st Place:  Holy Cross (NOLA BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Cornerstone Christian Preparatory Academy (Wolverine BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Spain Park High School (Blazer BEST)

 Spirit and Sportsmanship

• 1^st Place:  Wetumpka High School (War Eagle BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Merrol Hyde Magnet School (Music City BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Oak Mountain High School (Blazer BEST)

Team Exhibit Design and Construction Award

• 1^st Place:  North Cobb Christian School (Georgia BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Millsaps (Mississippi BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Central Magnet School (Music City BEST)

 Founders Award for Creative Design

• 1^st Place:  Decatur Austin Robotics Coalition (Tennessee Valley BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Allen Thornton Career Technical Center (Northwest AL BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Cornerstone Christian Preparatory Academy (Wolverine BEST)

 Most Elegant Robot

• 1^st Place:  Spain Park High School (Blazer BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Holy Cross (NOLA BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Central Magnet School (Music City BEST)

 Most Robust Robot

• 1^st Place:  Marshall Technical School (Northeast AL BEST) 
• 2^nd Place: Hope Academy (Central AL BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Spain Park High School (Blazer BEST)

Most Photogenic Robot

• 1^st Place:  Louis P. Slade Middle School (Connecticut BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Allen Thornton Career Technical Center (Northwest AL BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  LeCroy STEM Academy (Blazer BEST)

Team Video

• 1^st Place:  Seaside Neighborhood Middle School (Emerald Coast BEST)
• 2^nd Place: W.P. Davidson High School (Jubilee BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Merrol Hyde Magnet School (Music City BEST)

 SolidWorks CAD Design Award

• 1^st Place:  W.P. Davidson High School (Jubilee BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Tuscaloosa Christian School (Shelton State BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Athens Bible School (Tennessee Valley BEST)

 Web page Design

• 1^st Place:  Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science & Tech. (Georgia BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Athens Bible School (Tennessee Valley BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Miss Porters School (Connecticut BEST)

 Game T-shirt Design

• 1^st Place:  St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School (Jubilee BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School (War Eagle BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Saint James School (War Eagle BEST)

 Best Team Mascot

• 1^st Place:  Keith Middle/High School (Selma BEST)
• 2^nd Place: Holly Pond High School (North AL BEST)
• 3^rd Place:  Cornerstone Christian Preparatory Academy (Wolverine BEST)

 igus Top Gun Award (scored most points in a single round of competition)

• Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science & Technology (Georgia BEST)

Briggs and Stratton South’s BEST Teacher of the Year

• Susan Haddock – Austin High School (Tennessee Valley BEST)
• Virginia Vilardi – Wetumpka High School (War Eagle BEST)
• Wilma Whateley – Holly Pond High School (North AL BEST)

 Jim Westmoreland Memorial Judges Award

• Gary West (Southern Research Institute, Birmingham, AL)
• Dr. Bob Ashurst (Dept. Chemical Engineering, Auburn University)

 South’s BEST Volunteer of the Year

• Bryan McMeen (AFLAC)
• Vaughn Nichols  (Gulf Coast Power)

 Congratulations to all who competed at South's BEST!

Northeast Alabama BEST in the News!

The Daily Sentinel, of Scottsboro, posted this article today regarding Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics.

TVA Contributes to BEST Robotics Program

We thank The Daily Sentinel for publishing this article!

Seeking 2013 Sponsors

Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics is now seeking sponsors for 2013. With a year of experience under our belt, we hope to open the competition to more schools next year, add additional training opportunities, and provide additional opportunities for young people to become excited about science and math. But expanding the program requires additional funds and additional volunteers.

We will be posting new sponsorship information in the coming days. As always, let us know if a hub representative can visit to tell you more about BEST Robotics and the way it changes lives.

DeKalb County Technology Center Winning T Shirt Design

The DeKalb County Technology Center won the Berry and Dunn Office Equipment BEST T Shirt Design award.

The DCTC design features the WarpXX space elevator theme on the front and the BEST Inc. and sponsor logos on the back. 

Congratulations to all the teams who submitted T shirt designs. They were all excellent. Check out all the T Shirt designs by visiting our photo gallery.

2012 Game Day Photos Posted

Several photos from Game Day 2012 have been posted on the Photos page of this site. Some of the photos are featured in this Game Day slide show.


Does your team have photos to share? Send them to us and we will post them.

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.

Interested in Participating in 2013? Let us know...

In its inaugural year, Northeast Alabama BEST prepared to accept 12 teams. Ten teams participated.

The leadership of Northeast Alabama BEST will soon make decisions regarding how many teams to accept for the 2013 BEST season. Since the hub purchases the kits and supplies (at a cost of approximately $1,200 per team), Northeast Alabama BEST officials need to plan and raise funds now for any new teams that will participate in 2013.


If you plan to participate in 2013, please contact Nicole Carroll to let her know of your interest. This will do two things. First, it will help the leadership team to plan for the 2013 season. Second, Nicole will add your contact information to our email list so that you will be kept informed of any upcoming workshops or training.

Want to know more about BEST? Schedule a time for BEST team members to visit your school or classroom to talk about BEST. 

Warp XX - 2012 was great, but we are looking forward to what 2013 brings!

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.

Thanks to Sponsor 4imprint

Thanks to our sponsor, 4imprint, for providing the name badge holders for competition this weekend. We are excited to have 4imprint as a sponsor of Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics!

Gangnam Style Robot

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



Read the whole story here.