Local schools to participate in robotics competition at Shelton State Saturday

TUSCALOOSA—Shelton State Community College will host its fifth Shelton’s BEST Robotics competition Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.

BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology) is a non-profit, volunteer-based program designed to inspire students through competitive robotics design. Through exploration and creativity, student teams are encouraged to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines. Additionally, Shelton’s BEST enhances marketing-based skills by allowing students to brand and advertise their school’s robotic concept. All teams have the opportunity to be mentored by engineers and technical professionals from local industry.

22 schools from West Alabama and East Mississippi will compete at the 2016 event, including Demopolis Middle and High Schools, Sweet Water High School, Livingston Junior High School, and Sumter Central High School.

This year’s game, “Bet the Farm,” requires teams to gather and transport crops using a robot designed, built and programmed entirely by students. The marketing component will ask teams to develop a marketing plan including a display booth and marketing presentation. the presentations will be judged on Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The top four teams participating at Shelton’s BEST will qualify to compete at the regional level at Auburn University in Dec.

For more information on the program, visit sheltonstate.edu/best