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Jacobs Technology supports robotics competition
College of Engineering Interim Dean Kenneth R. White, Jacobs Technology General Manager Keith Beck and BEST Director Sheila Horan.
The New Mexico BEST Robotics program administered by the NMSU College of Engineering will be supported by a $5,000 gift from Jacobs Technology, Inc. Jacobs General Manager Keith Beck presented a $5,000 check to Interim Dean Kenneth R. White and BEST program manager Sheila Horan recently. It is the second year that Jacobs has supported the program.
BEST, which stands for Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology, is an annual competition that offers middle- and high-school students an opportunity to work in a situation where they are confronted with the same problems, challenges and breakthroughs that an engineering team encounters. The BEST mission is to inspire participating students to pursue careers in engineering, science, technology, and math.
“We understand the importance of sustaining space superiority and that includes encouraging students to learn more about science, technology, and engineering. Supporting robotics technologies is right in line with this goal as well as our customers’ priorities,” said Beck.
Sheila Horan, New Mexico BEST director and NMSU electrical engineering associate professor has been involved with BEST for 9 years and the NMSU has been host (or hub) to the local competition for 8 years.
Each year, teams are given a specific task and identical kits of equipment and parts to construct a robot that will complete the task. They then have six weeks to design, build and test a robot that will outperform its competitors.
Preparations are underway for this year’s BEST Robotic competition, themed “High Octane.” Students are invited to contrive strategies and robots to maximize production of isooctane in a resource-restricted environment. The exercise will lead students to assess the feasibility of a new renewable resource based upon a superchlorophyll catalyst that, theoretically, will facilitate the production of long hydro-carbon chain molecules from plentiful CO2 and H2O.
Last year was the largest BEST Robotic competition ever, with more than 600 students representing 28 teams from New Mexico and El Paso competing against each other. This year’s competition will begin with a Practice Day on Oct. 17 from 10 am to 4 pm at the Mesilla Valley Mall where teams can try out their robots, experiment and make adjustments. The official competition will be held October 24 at 9 am at the NMSU James B. Delamater Activity Center. Schools will compete with each other on the game field. Schools will also be judged on presentations, notebooks, sportsmanship, and spirit.
For more information about BEST, contact BEST Director Sheila Horan at sheila@nmsu.edu or 575-646-6288, or visit http://www.ece.nmsu.edu/nm_best/NMBest.htm.
Linda Fresques
October 2009