Northeast Alabama Community College News Release
Jason Harper, Manager of Valley Relations and Ben LeRoy, Lineman
in operations, of the Tennessee Valley Authority recently
visited Northeast Alabama Community College to present a check
in support of the Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics program, which
is hosted by the college.
BEST stands for Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology,
and was originated in 1993 by two Texas Instruments engineers.
There are more than fifty hubs located across the United States,
operating in four regions.
Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics was established by the college
in 2012 to offer opportunities for students in grades 5–12 to
become competent and confident in science, technology,
engineering and math (STEM) principles. Last year, more than 350
students from 10 schools participated.
“TVA is pleased to be involved in this important initiative to
promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
initiatives in this region,” stated Jason Harper, of TVA.
The BEST competition runs for six weeks in the fall, and
includes three events. On September 20, a kick off day will be
held at Northeast Alabama Community College where the students
will learn about their challenge, receive the materials they may
use with which to build their robot, and attend training
sessions intended to prepare them for the challenge. On October
28, teams will gather at the Jackson County Fairgrounds for
practice day. This event, co-located with the Career Exploration
and Opportunities (CEO) Expo, provides teams with an opportunity
to test out their robot on the actual playing field. And on
November 1, teams will put their designs to the test by
competing against other teams and the clock to perform specific
tasks.
Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics serves DeKalb, Jackson and
Marshall Counties. The teams already registered for this year’s
competition include: DeKalb County Technology Center, Fyffe High
School, Boaz Middle School, Cornerstone Christian Academy,
Pisgah High School, and Brindlee Mountain Middle School. A
number of other schools are expected to register before the
September 6 deadline.
The competition encompasses more than robot performance. Teams
are judged on oral presentation, educational display, spirit,
sportsmanship, interview skills, engineering notebook, and robot
performance. The top teams will advance to the regional
competition in Auburn.
Northeast Alabama Community College serves as the lead agency
for the hub, but it takes a community-wide effort to put on a
competition of this magnitude. Other partner agencies include
DeKalb County Economic Development Authority, Jackson County
Economic Development Authority, Greater Jackson County Chamber
of Commerce, Impact Learning Center, Community Action Agency of
Northeast Alabama, and Alabama Technology Network.
Since all required materials and supplies are provided to
participating schools by Northeast Alabama BEST, sponsorships
from business, industry and organizations in the community are
vastly important. Sponsors for this year include: ABC–North
Alabama, Builders Supply Company, Redstone Federal Credit Union,
Heil Environmental, Source 4 Manufacturing, Rainsville Chamber
of Commerce, Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative, Fort Payne
Improvement Authority, Urethane Supply Company, and Berry & Dunn
Office Equipment. TVA has been a major sponsor of the initiative
since its inception in 2012.
For more information about BEST Robotics, contact Nicole Carroll
at extension 2254 or
carrolln@nacc.edu. Additional information may also be found
at the Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics website, located at
www.northeastalabamabest.org. For information about
Northeast, see the college’s web page at
www.nacc.edu or download the
college’s free App at the Apple App Store or by going to
www.naccmobile.com.
 |
NACC President Dr. David Campbell accepts the
TVA contribution presented by Ben LeRoy,
with Dr. Mike Kennamer,
NACC Director of Workforce Development and Skills Training. |
