The 2013 River Valley BEST Robotics Competition held Oct. 19 on the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith campus saw Muldrow High School take top honors at the competition while also winning a slew of additional awards.

 

It was a stellar Saturday for Muldrow, who placed first in both the Robot Competition and the BEST Award category, in addition to winning the Founders Award, IGUS Top Gun Award, and awards for Most Robust and Most Elegant Robot.

 

Chaffin Junior High School and Tulsa Engineering Academy at Memorial placed second and third respectively in the BEST Award category, while Fort Smith Home School, Kimmons/Darby Junior High and Chaffin Junior High rounded out the top four in the Robot Competition.

 

John Martini of Fort Smith, assistant professor of electronics technology at UAFS and director of River Valley BEST, said Muldrow’s robot performed flawlessly in the competition.

 

“Muldrow had a very innovative and robust machine that was flawless throughout the competition,” he said. “The only aspect they lacked at first was enough practice in driving their robot, but as the competition unfolded, they caught on quickly.”

 

In addition to placing third in the BEST Award category, the Tulsa Engineering Academy at Memorial won awards for Best Spirit and Sportsmanship, Best Exhibit and Most Photogenic Robot. Lamar High School took home the Best Project Notebook Award and the T-shirt Award.

 

A total of 16 schools from Arkansas and Oklahoma competed in the event, including seven schools from Fort Smith. Four schools -- Muldrow High School, Chaffin Junior High, Fort Smith Home School and Tulsa Engineering Academy at Memorial -- advanced to the Frontier Trails BEST Regional Championship. 

 

Martini said the competition “went down to the wire.”

 

“It was a very spirited and lively competition this year, with all the teams giving their best effort,” he said. “The final tally to see who would advance to the Frontier Trails BEST Regional Championship was very close. We didn’t know who it would be until the final robot scores were posted.”

 

UAFS has participated in the robotics competition since 2003, and UAFS Chancellor Dr. Paul Beran has been directly involved in the event since his hiring in 2006.

 

The Frontier Trails BEST Regional Championship will take place Dec. 6-7 at the Fort Smith Convention Center and the UAFS campus.