BEST Robotics

Gulf Power and UWF Give Students BEST

Becoming leaders in science and technology just got a little easier for students in Northwest Florida thanks to the efforts of Gulf Power Company and the University of West Florida. Middle and high school students will now be able to compete locally in the nation-wide robotics competition known as BEST (Boosting Science Engineering and Technology).

"We are thrilled," said Jennifer Grove, Gulf Power's Educational Partnership coordinator. "BEST is one of the finest programs available to increase student interest in science and technology, and for years we've been encouraging schools in Northwest Florida to send teams.

"Unfortunately, even for local schools, the cost of travel is always an obstacle. Now, students will be able to compete locally at the University of West Florida instead of having to make several trips to Mobile. This will make participation much easier for schools in Northwest Florida."

The new "hub" will be called Emerald Coast BEST, and it was made possible by a grant from the Gulf Power Foundation to UWF. The grant for $15,000 will help supply the components for robots along with awards and other materials needed for the competition. Also, having the competition in Pensacola will make it easier for Gulf Power employees to volunteer as mentors and judges.

BEST estimates the average annual cost of running a hub to be about $30,000. The hub is where high school and middle school teams first pick up their robotic components, get the ground rules, and see the "playing field" on which their robots will compete. The top teams go on to compete in the finals at Auburn University.

Last year, eight schools from Northwest Florida sent teams to Mobile's Jubilee BEST hub. They competed against 14 other schools from as far away as Texas and Boca Raton, Fla.

Out of the 22 teams competing, six did well enough to advance to the finals at Auburn. Three of those six were Northwest Florida schools - Milton High School, King Middle School in Milton and Holley Navarre Middle School. At Auburn, Milton High finished third in the Robotics competition, and third in the Most Robust Robot category. Holley Navarre finished third in the T-shirt design award and King Middle won second place in the Most Photogenic Robot Award.

BEST started in 1993 when two Texas Instruments engineers - Steve Marum and Ted Mahler - noticed how excited high school students were about robotics. They helped students build robots out of ordinary components then held the first competition in Sherman, Texas. 14 teams with 221 students participated. Today, more than 10,000 students will compete in 32 hubs across the country. Emerald Coast BEST is projecting 20 schools for the Aug. 15 kick off at the UWF Field House.

Workforce Development | Gulf Power Academy | BEST Robotics | I Love Science | Gulf Power Institute