Technical Training Day Photos Posted

We had a great group at Technical Training Day on Saturday. Be sure to check out photos from the day under the photo link on this site. Thanks to all who came out and especially to our instructors: 

• Jordan Hilyer of GH Metal Solutions, who  did a great job with SolidWorks 
• Dennis Lester of NACC who turned out some expert solderers
• Deni Adkins, of NACC, who was asked at 8:05 this morning if she would fill in an lead the discussion in the Programming Users Group. Thanks to Mrs. Adkins for stepping up, filling in, and exemplifying the spirit of BEST. 

Preparing for Technical Training Day

Technical Training Day will take place on Saturday, September 28 in the Industrial Systems Techology Center at Northeast Alabama Community College. Classes will last from 8:00 am until noon, and will include the following topics:

• Solidworks - We have a limited number of computers loaded with Solidworks available in our lab. If you can, bring a laptop loaded with Solidworks.
• Soldering and Wire Connections - If you have one, bring a soldering iron and solder. If not, we will have some available for your use.
• Programming Users Group - Bring a laptop loaded with your programming software (Easy C, Robot C, etc.)

Both Solidworks and Soldering will be instructor led. The Programming Users Group will be just that--a meeting of those who use programming software. It is expected that the more experienced users will help the beginners.

A large number of people have already registered in advance for Technical Training Day. If you have not yet done so, please register here: https://technicaltraining.eventbrite.com/.

Clarification Regarding Robot Base

There were lots of questions on Kick Off Day regarding how you connect your robot to the trolley. The platform on the trolley is 23" x 15.75" While there was a good deal of discussion about making your robot base the exact same size, according to the Official BEST Question and Answer # 50:

The base of the robot does not need to be 23" x 15.75"; it simply must be able to attach to the base platform on both the left and right side. This should leave open numerous possibilities for shape and dimensions. We would not recommend extending beyond the platform, but this is permissible, as long as no other rules are broken in the process.

This reinforces the need to keep an eye on the Official BEST Q & A.

Kick Off Photos

Check out this video to see some of the photos from Kick Off Day. All the photos are provided on the Photo Page. 

The Clock is Ticking...BEST 2013 Has Begun!

We were excited to see everyone Saturday as we kicked off Gatekeeper 2013. Between 250 and 300 people attended the kick off of Northeast Alabama BEST Robotics  on the campus of Northeast Alabama Community College. After a  reveal of this year's theme, the hub offered a number of training sessions including both general sessions and breakout sessions.

Stevie B's pizza, was a hit for lunch and students enjoyed viewing the field as they began to concoct their plans for a robot that will build CPUs.

Dr. LaRonda Conley, representing the Missile Defense Agency STEM Outreach, was on hand to witness the kick off. Rick Roden, president and CEO of the Greater Jackson County Chamber of Commerce served as emcee and will continue as emcee for the 2013 BEST season.

The next event of the season is technical training day on September 28. Registration is open at http://technicaltraining.eventbrite.com/.

42 Days of BEST Posted

The 42 Days of BEST document has been posted on the Team Resources section of this site. This weekly calendar will help guide teams as they navigate the BEST season.

Consumable Kits Ready for Saturday

As seen in these photos, the consumable kits are complete and stored in an undisclosed location until Saturday.

Looking forward to Kick Off. Hope to see you there!