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For High Schools and Middle Schools

Robotics. For High Schools and Middle Schools. Steven J. Maier sjmaier@nwosu.edu AAPT Summer Meeting Ann Arbor, MI 2009. 6 Weeks, 3 Minutes and Every Year is Different. On “ KickOff ,” teams are provided free of charge Game Rules and schematics Returnable Kit

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For High Schools and Middle Schools

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  1. Robotics For High Schools and Middle Schools Steven J. Maier sjmaier@nwosu.edu AAPT Summer Meeting Ann Arbor, MI 2009

  2. 6 Weeks, 3 Minutesand Every Year is Different • On “KickOff,” teams are provided free of charge • Game Rules and schematics • Returnable Kit • R/C equipment, BRAIN controller, batteries, chargers, etc. • Consumable Kit • Stock metal, wood, hardware, wire, etc. • Workshop Kit (optional; varies per hub) • Soldering iron, robot building books, tools

  3. Kit Materials

  4. “Mall” Day • 4 – 5 weeks following KickOff, student teams can practice on the game field • At a nearby mall or other site • Teams competing for the BEST Award complete additional components of competition • Engineering notebook, table display

  5. Game Day • Three minute rounds • 8-matches • Round robin format • Oral presentations • Winning teams at local hubs advance to regional competition • Texas BEST (Dallas, TX) • South’s BEST (Auburn, AL) • Frontier Trails BEST (Ft. Smith, AR) • Local hubs usually provide teams a travel stipend (anywhere from $200 - $2,000 per team)

  6. The BEST “Catch” • Only students do the work • No 2nd or 3rd party fabrication • Mentors help students learn how to fabricate and work with raw materials • All teams work with the same constraints • Same rules • Same bill of materials • Only 6 weeks • Teachers are “coaches” facilitating team meetings • Teams set goals and the teacher guides/provides resources as needed • Teams may have mentors from the area to help the coaches • BEST is to remain free for its participants

  7. $$$ • BEST Robotics Inc. is a grass roots volunteer-based non-profit organization • Local hubs raise funds annually to host competition and materials costs • New hub ~$24,000 • Established hub ~$12,000 • Teams, students, teachers, parents, districts only pay travel and ancillary expenses • t-shirts, buttons, giveaways, etc.

  8. Scale of BEST • Over 30 local hubs • 8 to 30+ teams per hub • 5 to 30+ students per team • 3 regional hubs (no national)

  9. Opportunities • Service Learning • Currently pursuing a 3000-level course for pre-service science teachers and STEM majors • Outreach • May be part of institution’s mission . . . • Accessibility to applied physics/engineering courses • Research • BEST is a lot of work, a lot of fun, but no published research has yet to confirm its effectiveness as purported by its volunteers . . . • Recruiting • Students (in higher ed) • Students (this might be the enthusiastic atmosphere for your science clubs you’ve been looking for!) • Area STEM teachers

  10. Thank You! • Questions? • Contact me! Whether you are interested in forming a team, a new hub, or setting up a study of BEST . . . • sjmaier@nwosu.edu • www.nwosu.edu/BEST • BRI’s main page • www.bestinc.org

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