Need more information? Contact us
The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Engineering is bringing together hundreds of middle and high school students from central Alabama to participate in a competition that will pit their unique robotic devices against one another.
The event is hosted by Blazer BEST, or Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology, Robotics, Inc., the local chapter of the national nonprofit, volunteer-based BEST organization.
BEST’s mission is to inspire students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics through participation in a sports-like science- and engineering-based robotics competition.
Locally, this annual competition is held each fall and is open to middle and high school students in the Greater Birmingham, Jefferson County and Shelby County areas. There is no cost to the students who are participating in this contest.
| Students participating in the contest are faced with the task of solving real-world science and engineering problems, allowing them the opportunity to gain skills that are transferable to their future academic and career pursuits. They also are able to build their confidence in abstract thinking, teamwork, project management, decision-making, problem-solving and leadership. |
“The strength of Blazer BEST is that students are applying engineering concepts in a creative and competitive environment,” said Iwan Alexander, Ph.D., dean of the School of Engineering. “Experiencing this event firsthand has an immediate impact on how they view math and science education.”
Students met Aug. 21 to learn the rules of the competition, and they have been working on their projects since that time. A record 25 teams are participating in the event this year. Students are given six weeks to design and construct a robot to navigate a game board and complete a challenge. This year’s challenge is called “Blade Runner”; students must construct robots to “build and construct windmills” using items located on a 24-foot-by-24-foot game board.
“The objective here is to show that there are hands-on, practical ways to apply the things they learn through STEM disciplines,” Alexander said. “We hope they’ll start viewing math as something more than numbers on a page. These are skills that can be useful in solving a wide variety of challenges, and they can be a lot of fun as well.”
A BEST Robotics exhibition will take place from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 21, at the Riverchase Galleria, where the students will be able to present the work they have done so far on their robots.
The event will culminate Saturday, Oct. 4, when teams will compete in the 2014 Blazer BEST competition at Bartow Arena beginning at 10:30 a.m. An awards ceremony will follow the competition.
Robotics is just one aspect of the Blazer BEST competition. In addition to building a successful robot, teams must also keep an engineering notebook, come up with a business plan and create a marketing campaign for their robot, which must include team T-shirts, an oral presentation and a display booth.
Students participating in the contest are faced with the task of solving real-world science and engineering problems, allowing them the opportunity to gain skills that are transferable to their future academic and career pursuits. They also are able to build their confidence in abstract thinking, teamwork, project management, decision-making, problem-solving and leadership.
“Any time we can engage young people in something we’re doing that’s both fun and educational, such as BEST Robotics, it’s a positive step for the School of Engineering,” Alexander said.