Welcome to NMSU's website for Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology (BEST) This competition exposes middle and high school students to the concepts of engineering and technology through a robotics design challenge. Annually in September, teams of middle and high school students receive a box of parts and electronics to design and build remote-controlled robots to accomplish a specific task. In six weeks, the teams design and build prototypes, stage mock competitions, compete against each other locally, and then move on to a regional play-off and championship.
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs help to enhance the nation's global competitiveness. Yet, there is a dearth of qualified people to fuel the workforce. The BEST Robotics competition addresses this, making engineering more inviting to students. The BEST mission is to engage and excite students in engineering, science, and technology as well as inspire them to pursue careers in these fields.
Through participation in our project-based STEM program, students learn to analyze and solve problems utilizing the engineering design process, which helps them develop technological literacy skills. It is these skills that industry seeks in its workforce and will insure the future of our nation's technological strength.
Each fall, more than 750 middle and high schools and over 11,000 students participate in the nation-wide competition. Nearly 400 participate in the NMSU-sponsored hub each year, leading to thousands of students who have been exposed to robotics and engineering since NMSU began leading the regional event in 2001.