Welcome to FUEL Homeschool Cooperative!

Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics is pleased to welcome FUEL Homeschool Cooperative, located in Rainsville, to the BEST family. FUEL students have been attending Summer STEM Experience and Summer STEM Workshops and are ready for BEST 2015!

Marshall County Homeschool Robotics is Registered!

We are pleased to announce that Marshall County Homeschool Robotics has registered for BEST 2015! We welcome them to the BEST family!

Register for Summer STEM Experience

Northeast Alabama Community College is now accepting registrations for the 2014 Summer STEM Experience. Scheduled for the week of June 9-13, camps will be offered in robotics (grades 6-8) and advanced manufacturing (grades 9-12).

Read an article about the camps here.

Download registration materials here.

Registration ends on May 15 so be sure to get your registration forms in soon!

Mark Your Calendars - Summer STEM Experience

Mark your calendars. The 2014 Summer STEM Experience is being planned for the week of June 9-13, 2014. What is on tap this year?

• Robotics for grades 7-8
• Advanced manufacturing for grades 9-10
• And more...

Keep an eye on this site for more information!

#G8KPR BEST Robotics in the News

Here is an article from AL.com about South's BEST, and specifically the Mobile-area teams that competed.

http://blog.al.com/live/2013/12/davidson_high_finishes_6th_in.html#incart_river_default

Today is Deadline to Register for BEST 2013!

With Kick Off for BEST Robotics 2013 only a couple weeks away, today is the deadline to register a team for competition. Follow the link below to register, then follow up with an email to carrolln@nacc.edu to confirm your registration.

Here is the link: http://northeastalabamabest.eventbrite.com/#

We are excited for the upcoming BEST season, which we are starting to call "the most exciting 42 days in school." Be a part of it!

Ider High School is on Board for 2013

We are pleased to announce that Ider High School has registered for Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics for 2013! This will be Ider's second year in the competition, so look for their competitiveness to be a factor. This team is quiet and reserved, but they may just be the team to watch. We are excited to have them on board for 2013!

Meet the Robot Doctor

What happens when robots get sick? They call the robot doctor...

Okay, it might not happen exactly like that, but check out this video about Ford Motor Company's Robot Doctor. He sure seems to enjoy his work.

Registration Open for Summer STEM Experience!

Registration is now open for NACC's Summer STEM Experience. Please click on the link below to download a registration form. Registrations will be processed on a first come, first served basis. The registration must include payment to assure a spot in the camp. Details are listed below.

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.

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.

More About Pisgah Robotics in the News

The Chattanooga Times Free Press recently published an article about the Pisgah Robotics team. Check it out here: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/feb/10/rocking-robotics/?local

Congratulations to principal, Mark Guffey and teacher, Gus Hembree and thanks to Wayne Cummins for sharing the link.

Score One for Robotics in Minnesota!

The Star Tribune of Minneapolis recently reported that there are now more robotics teams than hockey teams in Minnesota schools. According to the article, "Robotics team members are getting varsity letters and patches, being paraded before school assemblies like other sports stars and seeing trophies in the same lobby display cases as their football, basketball or baseball counterparts."

The article indicates that there are now more than 4,600 students participating on robotics teams in Minnesota. And for the first time ever, there are 180 robotics teams and 156 high school boys' hockey teams. Please read and share this excellent article among your network of contacts. It also includes a video so you can see the impact that robotics is making in Minnesota.

Check out the article here. 

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 

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!

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!

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.

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.