Troy University BEST Robotics is the local BEST Robotics hub for schools located in Southeast Alabama. Local schools design, build, and program a robot from a kit of raw materials through implementation of the Engineering Design Process.
Video by Wesley Killingsworth
About Best Robotics
BEST stands for Boosting Engineering Science and Technology, and is a national program with local competition sites in eighteen states. It is administered by BEST Inc., a 501c3 non-profit organization, that sets curriculum and competition standards. The mission of BEST is to inspire students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through participation in a competitive robotics program that fosters knowledge, teamwork, and communication. A major tenet of the program is that it is free to schools; there is no cost for provided robotics materials nor to enter a team.
Each year, middle and high school student teams are tasked with building a robot to compete against other schools in that year's challenge. Each challenge is based on an educational model.
The robotics competition is a high-energy sports-like environment but good sportsmanship is essential. Student-driven robots compete against the challenges of the game, not other robots. Each year's game theme and playing field is revealed in early August or mid-September. Teams are given eight weeks to design and build their robot before entering their local competition.
In addition to robotics, the most coveted award of the program is the BEST Award. To compete, students must provide an engineering notebook, give an oral marketing presentation, construct an educational exhibit, and show excellent team spirit and sportsmanship. BEST uses the excitement of robotics to teach engineering and business processes.
About Troy University BEST
Formed in 2018, the Troy University BEST Robotics hub was formed under Best Robotics Inc. to serve students in southeast Alabama. Our hub is sponsored wholly by local area businesses and benefactors to provide a free of charge event to our local students. The hub planning committee is comprised of dedicated hard working volunteers who want to be a part of building our students into a great future workforce for our southeast Alabama businesses.