DUBOIS, Pa. — The BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology) robotics competition, a nationwide contest for middle and high school students, is scheduled to take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, in the campus gymnasium at Penn State DuBois. The DuBois campus will serve as the local hub of the competition.
A mall "practice" day will also be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10, at the DuBois Mall, where spectators can get their first look at robots that will compete during the Oct. 24 "Gameday" competition. All members of the local community are invited to watch the BEST competition at Penn State DuBois.
Teams participating in this year's BEST at Penn State DuBois include students from DuBois Area, DuBois Central Catholic, Redbank Valley, Clarion-Limestone, Wider School, Ridgway Area, Clearfield County Career and Technology Center, Vocatio Career Prep, and Strathaven.
BEST provides all necessary parts and equipment for teams to build a robot that they can use to run a course and perform specified tasks. The theme of this year's BEST is titled "Pay Dirt" and is based on deep mining techniques and the design, construction and operation of the machines utilized in mining. The robot must be built within a six-week timeframe. On the day of the contest, all teams will run the course, competing for the best times and course completion. Through participation in this project-based program, students learn to analyze and solve problems utilizing the engineering design process, which helps them develop technological literacy skills. The goal is to better prepare these students for further education and careers in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
The learning opportunities with BEST don't stop at STEM fields, however. Teams also compete and receive awards for other areas of the project, which include marketing, exhibition, sportsmanship and team spirit.
Winners of BEST at Penn State DuBois will advance to the Northern Plains BEST Regional Championships to be held Dec. 4-6 at North Dakota State University. More information can be found at http://dubois.psu.edu/best. BEST at Penn State DuBois is made possible by the Fairman Family Foundation, Comtec, Atlas Pressed Metals, Abbot Furnace, Miller Welding, Eastern Sintered Alloys, and Symmco.