ROBOTICS COMPETITION

AUBURN - In an atmosphere resembling a fierce basketball rivalry, high school and middle school students from across the east coast, along with their pep bands, mascots and cheering fans, gathered on the Auburn University campus in Auburn, Alabama, Saturday to participate in the South's BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology) robotics competition.

Lincoln Way Central High School from New Lenox, Ill., placed first in the robotics competition. Austin High School from Decatur, Ala., placed first in the BEST Award category for the second year in a row.

"Winning feels great, says Brittany Kerrigan, an Austin High School senior who acted as the team's CEO. "We worked hard and really wanted it but it's been a surprise both years!"

BEST, formed in 1993 by Texas Instruments engineers Ted Mahler and Steve Marum, is a non-profit volunteer 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. South's BEST was sponsored by Auburn University's Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and the College of Sciences and Mathematics.

More than 650 teams from around the country participated in this year's BEST program. After winning the competition at their local hubs, 42 teams from the eastern half of the country made their way to Alabama to compete in the South's BEST. Winning teams from west of the Mississippi competed at Texas BEST.

"I had so much fun," says Cassandra Kind, a student from Scott County High School in Georgetown, Ky. "I enjoyed building the robot and working on our marketing booth. Plus I made lots of new friends from Ohio when we competed at our hub - Bearcat BEST."

The teams began preparing for competition in September when they picked up their sponsor provided parts kit. Those contained all of the electronics necessary to build a working robot, as well as basic building materials such as plywood, PVC pipe and duct tape.

The teams then returned to their respective schools to design and build a robot for head-to-head competition on this year's game floor. Other students took on the task of "marketing" the robot by preparing a notebook, oral presentation and display booth.

The teams attending the South's BEST successfully advanced through their local competition sites to match robotic wits against teams from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. This year's game - BEST Fever - required teams to work together with their competitors to devise the most effective strategy to denature, sort and re-sequence DNA and deactivate a hidden gene that controls aging, represented by different kinds of balls, with their 24 inch, 24-pound remote control robots.

"BEST is a real-world learning experience," says Ed Sobey, a professor at the University of Washington, author, television host and founder of the Northwest Invention Center in Washington which serves elementary and middle school kids with hands-on lessons, exhibits and other programs to encourage inventors. "The competition is an exact exercise of what it will be like when you get out of school. The kids learn so much so quickly and they are given real-world limitations - such as budgets and timelines - as well as opportunities and goals."

Co-founder Marum joined the South's BEST fun for the first time.

"The future of companies like Texas Instruments depends on a stream of young engineers," he says. "Our goal in forming BEST was to help high school and middle school students make an informed choice about careers in engineering. I stick with BEST because it works. Texas Instruments employs a number of past BEST participants."

Teachers like BEST because of its low cost and because all teams start on an even playing field.

"I'm always amazed at what the students are able to do with the materials we provide," says Sophia Kennedy, co-director or Tennessee Valley BEST. "Their robots are so varied and incredible. I also like that the competition involves such a diverse group of students. It involves skills such as marketing, presentation, design, construction, and art, as well as math, science and engineering.

"It's a great time with great kids, great mentors and great teachers," she continues. "I'm hooked."

William Fremd High School from Palatine, Illi,. placed second in the Robotics competition, and Stanhope Elmore High School from Deatsville, Ala., placed third. The second place BEST award winner was Auburn High School from Auburn, Alabama. Priceville High School from Decatur, Alabama took the third place award.

For more information about BEST or to become involved as a team or mentor, log on to www.southsbest.org.