|
|
The 2011 Texas BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology) Robotics
Competition is now organizing high school teams and is looking for
volunteers to mentor student teams this fall.
“We encourage TIers to
volunteer for robotics competitions because
they’re one of the most effective ways to engage
middle and high school students in math and
science,” said Arturo Sanchez, TI director of
education and workforce development. “TIers have
been especially involved in two of the robotics
competitions across the U.S., BEST in the fall
and FIRST in the spring.” BEST was started by
two TI engineers and has been strongly supported
by TI and other North Texas companies for more
than 15 years.
The first phase of the
competition - Dallas BEST - kicks off Saturday,
Sept. 17 at The Hockaday School, 11600 Welch
Road in Dallas. Mentors are still needed for
some local high schools and can start even after
the kickoff.
“Dallas BEST is seeking
members to work with teams during the six week
competition,” said Jennifer Holm, TI BEST core
team volunteer. “Virtually anyone interested in
working with students can be a mentor, although
technical background is desired. You do not have
to have a background in robotics.”
Volunteers can expect to
work with students to understand engineering
concepts, in addition to promoting teaming and
organizational skills. Two mentors are preferred
for teams which typically meet 3-4 times a week.
A minimum 3-hour-per-week commitment is
recommended.
Mentors guide the
students who act as the primary decision-makers
as they design and build their machines. The
machines must meet certain design criteria while
performing the functions to “play the game”. At
the kickoff, teams receive a kit of parts and
instructions.
Game Day volunteers will
be needed in October to help with set up and
Team registration on Oct. 28 and the games on
Oct. 29. These volunteers help judge team
entries, referee the matches, set up and tear
down the event and assist with the competition.
The deadline for signing up as a game day
volunteer is Oct. 15.
“Dallas BEST could not
happen without the many volunteers who
participate,” Jennifer said.
To volunteer or for more information about the
BEST competition, contact Jon Spangler at
j-spangler@raytheon.com or 972-344-8057 or
Jennifer Holm at
j-holm@ti.com or (214) 567-5648.
Events are planned for many local areas. Visit these websites for more
details:
BEST Robotics, Inc.
http://www.bestinc.org
Dallas BEST - Texas Instruments
http://www.dallas-best.org
Collin County (CoCo) BEST - Raytheon
http://www.cocobest.net
Denton County BEST - University of North Texas
College of Engineering
http://www.eng.unt.edu/dcbest2010/home.htm
North Texas BEST - Texas Instruments,
Sherman
http://www.ntbest.org
Texas BEST - University of Texas at Dallas
http://www.eng.unt.edu/texasbest
|
| |
|
|
