UWF Hosts 2015 BEST Robotics Competition

November 8, 2015

The University of West Florida College of Science and Engineering hosted the eighth annual Emerald Coast BEST robotics competition at the UWF Field House on Saturday.

Student teams from 18 area high schools and middle schools participated in “Pay Dirt,” a competition in which each team designed and built a robotic system to repair a simulated mine and retrieve its resources. The teams were evaluated based on robot performance, notebooks, marketing presentation, team exhibit, spirit and sportsmanship.

BEST Award

The BEST Award is presented to the team that best embodies the attributes associated with “Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology” in its development, which include teamwork, diversity of participation, sportsmanship, creativity, ethics, positive attitude and enthusiasm, school and community involvement, and exposure to and use of the engineering process. The first-place winner of the 2015 BEST Award was Seaside Neighborhood School, followed by Woodham Middle School in second-place and Woodlawn Beach Middle School in third-place.

Robotics Award

Awarded to the teams whose machines finish first, second and third in the tournament bracket. The first-place winner of the robotics award was Pace High School, followed by Tate High School in second-place and Seaside Neighborhood School in third-place.

Dr. Bradley Regez, program manager and instructor for the UWF Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, leads the Emerald Coast BEST steering committee. Dr. Mohamed Khabou, associate professor and chair of the UWF Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is also a part of the committee along with several other University and community representatives.

“Each year that I am given the chance to participate in the Emerald Coast hub, it’s an opportunity to help students learn,” said Regez. “These kinds of competitions are great for students interested in science, technology, engineering and math because they provide opportunities for hands-on experience and seeing a project from start to finish.”

The annual competition is coordinated through BEST Inc., a non-profit, volunteer-based organization. Its name stands for Boosting Engineering Science and Technology, and its mission is to inspire middle and high school students to pursue careers in engineering, science and technology through participation in the sports-like robotics competition.

The Emerald Coast BEST hub is the only one in Florida. The hub is funded completely by corporate and individual sponsorships, which provide each team with a material kit to build the robots. No fees are paid by students or schools that participate in the BEST robotics competitions.

Award winners

Advancing to Regional Robotics Championship:
Robot: Pace High School
BEST 1: Seaside Neighborhood School
BEST 2: Woodham Middle School

Robotics Game Award:
1. Pace High School
2. Tate High School
3. Seaside Neighborhood School
4. Woodham Middle School

BEST Award:
1. Seaside Neighborhood School
2. Woodham Middle School
3. Woodlawn Middle School

T-Shirt Design Award:
1. Pace High School
2. Santa Rosa High School
3. Woodham Middle School

BEST Spirit and Sportsmanship:
1. Woodlawn Beach Middle School
2. Seaside Neighborhood School
3. Woodham Middle School

Best Team Exhibits and Interview:
1. Woodlawn Beach Middle School
2. Seaside Neighborhood School
3. Woodham Middle School

Best Marketing Presentation:
1. Seaside Neighborhood School
2. Woodham Middle School
3. Pensacola High School

Best Project Engineering Notebook:
1. Woodlawn Beach Middle School
2. Creative Learning Academy
3. Seaside Neighborhood School

Software Design and Simulation Award:
1. Tate High School
2. Creative Learning Academy
3. Woodham Middle School

Founders Award for Creative Design: Seaside Neighborhood School
Most Robust Machine: Episcopal Day School
Most Photogenic Machine: Woodlawn Beach Middle School
Gulf Power Blood, Sweat and Duct Tape Award: Pensacola High School
Web Page Design Award: Episcopal Day School

Comments

One Response to “UWF Hosts 2015 BEST Robotics Competition”

  1. Jeffrey Dennis on November 8th, 2015 4:17 pm

    My two children participated in this yesterday. Although their team didn’t win they had a lot of fun and learned some things along the way. Both said that they wanted to compete again next year.

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