BEST is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization whose mission is to
inspire students to pursue careers in engineering, science, and technology
through participation in a sports-like, science and engineering-based robotics
competition.
Started in 1993 with 14 competing schools and 221 students, today BEST has
over 700 middle and high schools and over 10,000 students participating each
fall. There is no fee for schools to compete in BEST.
BEST features two
parallel competitions: A robotics game, which is based upon an annual theme with
four teams competing at once in a series of three-minute, round-robin
matches.
The BEST Award, which is presented to the team that best embodies the concept
of Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology. Elements include a project
summary notebook, oral presentation, table display, and spirit and
sportsmanship.
Each school is provided kits of equipment and parts, a set of game rules, and
given six weeks to design, build, and test a small Radio/Controlled (R/C) robot
that outperforms other robots. The machines they build cannot weigh more than
24 pounds, must fit within a 24-inch cube, and must be built only from the raw
materials supplied to them by the local hub. Winning teams from local
competition sites (called “hubs”) advance to regional championship sites
(“regionals”).
Engineers and other technical professionals from local industries serve as
team mentors who advise and guide students through the design and construction
of their machines.
Anyone—colleges/universities, corporations, individuals—can start a new hub
serving a minimum of eight teams. The average first-year cost for running a
24-team hub is approximately $28,000. Local hubs rely on financial support from
corporations and/or colleges/universities in order to allow schools to
participate at no cost.
For more information, visit http://http://www.bestinc.org/