October 6, 2008

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) will be hosting the Blazer B.E.S.T. robotics competition on Saturday, October 11 at 1 p.m. at Bartow Arena.

This is the first UAB School of Engineering Blazer B.E.S.T. robotics competition at Bartow Arena. A total of 24 teams from the region's middle and high schools will participate, using UAB supplied components and parts to build robots that will be run through an obstacle course laid out on the Bartow Arena floor.  The top five teams go on to the South Region B.E.S.T. competition.  Trophies and plaques will also be handed out to top finishing teams.

The Dean of UAB's School of Engineering, Linda Lucas, Ph.D., said the Blazer B.E.S.T. robotics competition is "the state's future engineering workforce development, step one." B.E.S.T. robotics is a national program designed to promote engineering and science in the country's classrooms.