#paydirt2015 Sponsors Keep the Hub Running

Recently someone asked why Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics needs sponsors to operate. As we ticked through the list of items we have to purchase using donated funds, it occurred to us that others might not know what the hub does in the background to keep the competition going.

This is a list of some of the purchases made in 2014 to provide the BEST Robotics competition for our area:

• Facility - We spent $2,250 to rent the facility for game day
• Hub License Fee - The annual hub license fee to be part of BEST Robotics is $2,000
• Kits - We spend more than $9,600 to purchase kits (returnable and consumable) in 2014. 
• Food - More than $1,400 was spent for food, which included feeding all participants for kick off day, and providing meals for volunteers on game day and other BEST events. 
• T-Shirts and Name Badges - More than $3,500 was spent on Tshirts, staff shirts, and name badges. Most hubs do not give Tshirts to every participant. However, due to the generosity of our sponsors, we are able to give every participant a Tshirt. 
• Awards - Trophies and plaques cost more than $500 in 2014. 
• Playing Field - The playing field materials cost approximately $1,500 for 2014. 

We receive a great deal of support from NACC and funds from a state workforce grant. However, the rest of the funds (about $10,000 per year) come from donations and sponsorships from local industry. A typical sponsorship for us is $500 so we depend on many sponsors to assure that we can keep this opportunity available in our area.

Interested in sponsoring BEST? Check out our Sponsor page here. 

Fort Payne BEST Students at Chamber Banquet

Members of the Fort Payne High School Robotics Team demonstrated their robot and spoke to guests at the Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce Banquet, held January 29.

"Executive Director of the Chamber, Carol Beddingfield, contacted me to ask if we would come talk about BEST and perhaps have a team demonstrate their robot," said Dr. Mike Kennamer, Northeast Alabama BEST hub co-director. "We are always happy to talk about BEST, so we accepted the invitation."

Kennamer contacted Dan Grogham, of Fort Payne High School, and asked if he could bring a robot to demonstrate. Groghan immediately agreed.

With more than 150 business leaders in the audience, Kennamer told the group about BEST and then called upon hub co-director, Nicole Carroll, to explain the BEST game concept. Mr. Groghan and each of his students spoke to the group sharing what BEST means to them and what they have learned from BEST. The presentation concluded with the viewing of the Northeast Alabama BEST Sponsorship video.

"This is a great opportunity to share the word about BEST," said Kennamer.

#paydirt2015 BEST Registration for 2015 Now Open!

The dates have been set. The venues have been reserved. It's official...registration for 2015 Northeast Alabama BEST is now open! Check out the countdown and registration link on the right column of this page.

One teacher from each team should click on this link and register your team for the event. Registration will end on September 12, 2015 so be sure to secure your team's spot for PayDirt 2015!

Online Ticketing for 2015 Northeast Alabama BEST Season Registration powered by Eventbrite

#paydirt2015 Northeast Alabama BEST 2015 Dates Announced!

Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics has released dates for Kick Off and Game Day for 2015! Practice Day date and location will be announced in the coming weeks.

Kick Off will take place on Saturday, September 26 at the Tom Bevill Lyceum on the campus of Northeast Alabama Community College.

Game Day will take place on Saturday, November 7 at the Northeast Alabama Agribusiness Center in Rainsville.

Please mark these dates on your calendar as we count down to PayDirt 2015!

Official 2015 Hashtag #paydirt2015

The official hashtag of BEST Robotics 2015 has been announced. Please tag your Tweets leading up to and throughout the BEST season with #paydirt2015. This is a great way to connect with other teams across the U.S. and to see what's going on in the BEST world. If you haven't already done so, please follow @NortheastALbest and @bestrobotics

It's Time for BESTology!

bESTology for Pay Dirt 2015 will begin Sunday, January 25. bESTology consists of 14 weeks of educational activities based on the Pay Dirt game theme (mining and economics). Check out the announcement below and participate.

ACTE Registration Open

Registration for the Northeast Region ACTE Fair is now open and will remain open until February 6 at 4:00 pm. The technology fair is open to students in grades 3-12 and will be held at NACC on February 27. For more information, check out the ACTE website here.

One of the categories of competition is robotics and hardware. The entry fee is only $15 per person, which includes lunch. Teachers and bus drivers get in for free.