The Frontier Trails BEST Regional Robotics Competition will take place Dec. 6-7 at
the Fort Smith Convention Center, featuring 32 teams from five states competing for
a slew of awards.
The competition, which has events planned from 8 a.m.-midnight on Dec. 6 and 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. on Dec. 7, features finalists from seven regional robotics competitions and retains the same theme as the local robotics competitions, which was Gatekeeper.
Awards will be given out for the top three teams in the BEST Award category in addition to other miscellaneous honors, including awards for Most Robust Machine, Most Creative Design and Most Photogenic Robot.
John Martini of Fort Smith, assistant professor of electronics technology at UAFS and director of Frontier Trails BEST, said this year’s competition “requires precision and attention to detail.”
“Since the game is based on collected inventory, the teams must be aware at all times of what they actually have,” he said. “It makes the game much more demanding.”
Teams from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Missouri will compete at the event, including local schools Muldrow High School, Chaffin Junior High, Fort Smith Home School and Tulsa Engineering Academy at Memorial, all of which advanced from the River Valley BEST Robotics Competition.
While the four schools had strong showings at the local competition, Martini said they will face a tougher test in the regional competition.
“This is the same competition as River Valley BEST, but it will have the top teams from several regions, which are very seasoned and gifted,” he said. “The quality of the competitors is top notch. These are the best of the best.”
The hubs and schools competing in the competition are:
Heartland BEST of Alva, Okla.: Fairview High School, Fairview, Okla.; OKC Homeschool, Oklahoma City, Okla.; Perry High School, Perry, Okla.; Shattuck High School, Shattuck, Okla.
Kansas BEST of Wichita, Kan.: Ambassadors for Christ Academy, Bentonville; Andale High School, Andale, Kan.; Campus High School, Wichita, Kan.; Circle High School, Towanda, Kan.; Rose Hill High School, Rose Hill, Kan.; Wichita Home School, Wichita, Kan.
Little Rock BEST of Little Rock: Buffalo Island Central, Monette; Hillcrest New Tech High School, Strawberry; Poyen High School, Poyen; Ridgefield Christian School, Jonesboro; West Memphis Christian School, West Memphis.
Northark BEST of Harrison: Calico Rock High School, Calico Rock; Christian Schools of Springfield, Springfield, Mo.; Haas Hall Academy, Fayetteville; Pershing Middle School, Springfield, Mo.
River Valley BEST of Fort Smith: Chaffin Junior High School, Fort Smith; Fort Smith Home School, Fort Smith; Muldrow High School, Muldrow, Okla.; Tulsa Engineering Academy at Memorial, Tulsa, Okla.
Rocky Mountain BEST of Denver, Colo.: East High School, Denver, Colo.; Manning Middle School, Golden, Colo.; St. Mary’s Academy, Englewood, Colo.; Standley Lake High School, Westminster, Colo.; STEM Academy Middle School, Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Show Me BEST of Sedalia, Mo.: Manteno High School, Manteno, Ill.; Metro Homeschool, Blue Springs, Mo.; Panther Creek Academy, Olathe, Kan.; Unitec Career Center, Bonne Terre, Mo.
BEST stands for Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology and is a non-profit volunteer-based organization. BEST seeks to engage students in engineering-related activities situated in real-world working environments, hoping to inspire them to pursue careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)-related fields.
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.
“BEST is a great opportunity to show off our beautiful campus and city to both local and out-of-state middle to high school students, their parents, and their teachers,” Beran said.
The event is open to the public, and admission is free. For more information, contact Martini by telephone at 479-788-7772 or by email at john.martini@uafs.edu.