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The BEST
Things In Life
by Hardy J. Pottinger
If you aren't interested in
playing with robots, helping kids to understand electrotechnology, the sorry state of precollege education in
the United States, or where your replacement might be found when
you retire, read no further. On the other hand, if you are
interested in one or more of these things, you might want to
know about a great activity that's probably going on in your
neighborhood.
I've often heard that "the best
things in life are free." That's generally true, although their
care and maintenance can cost a bundle. It's particularly true,
though, when talking about BEST (Boosting Engineering Science and
Technology), or BEST Robotics, Inc. BEST is a non-profit,
volunteer organization whose mission is to inspire students to
pursue careers in engineering, science and technology through
participation in an annual, sports-like, science- and engineering-based robotics competition. Best of all, there's no fee for
schools to compete in BEST.
I first heard about BEST in The
Institute years ago. That early 1990s article talked about a
robotics competition started by a couple of engineers from Texas
Instruments. They gave high school students a kit of parts
salvaged from old printers and other such castoffs, and
challenged them to build a
remote-control robot. From its humble start with 14 schools in
north Texas, BEST has grown to involve more than 700 middle- and high-schools,
with more than 8,000 students participating. Today, Region 5 (Texas BEST) and Region 3 (South's
BEST) host major competitions, with hubs or regional competition sites in Regions 2 and
4.
My most recent experience with
BEST came as a result of one of the many hats I wear in the
IEEE. I serve as Region 5 Precollege Activities Coordinator and
frequently contact Region 5 Sections regarding precollege outreach activities.
Last year, when I first started doing this, I often heard comments like, "We're having trouble
finding volunteers for anything, let alone precollege
activity."
As a past Section chair, member apathy
isn't new to
me, but I was particularly puzzled in this case for a couple of
reasons. First, I knew that many of our Sections in Region 5
help out with BEST competitions in their areas. For example, Scott Davis
from the Panhandle Section told me that his Section has been a source
of mentors or coaches to the Amarillo High School team for nine years. Second, from my past familiarity with BEST, I knew
that participating schools and competitions are held in the vicinity of several Sections that were reporting no precollege activity. The latter consideration was unfortunate,
because it meant
that either there was an ongoing volunteer effort that the
Section
leaders knew nothing about, or the leaders weren't
making the effort to partner with a very worthwhile activity
taking place in their own backyard. IEEE Region 5 has formed an
alliance with BEST, so that each of us can help the other
accomplish our goals with respect to precollege outreach.
Local colleges or universities
with an engineering school often organize BEST events. This
presents the perfect opportunity for joint projects between Sections and
Student Branches. At least one Section in Region 5 has
found that BEST is also a good way to get GOLD members involved.
Since BEST activities are typically scheduled for the fall, with Kickoffs in
September; demonstrations at Mall-day in October; and the
competitions in November, BEST makes a good companion to winter
activities like the Future City Competition and Engineers Week
in February.
Does your Section have a
hard time getting invited into local schools? Maybe you haven't
knocked on the right door. Velda Morris, of the Office of College
and Career Awareness of Philadelphia City Schools, says that they
would "love the help and support of IEEE members." She added
that
"last year was our unveiling year for BEST; we had 16 teams last
year and already have 20 teams signed up this year."
If BEST isn't best for your
Section, check out other competitions, such as FIRST and Future
City. My own Section participates in FIRST, the First Lego League
and Science Olympiad. Homegrown local competitions are also
popular. For example, Oklahoma City Section's Robomaze
competition. Whatever it might be, find out what is going on in
your area and participate. You might discover that the BEST
things in life are free! For additional information on BEST,
visit their Web site at
www.bestinc.org.
Links
Hardy J. Pottinger is past
chair of IEEE-USA's Precollege Education Committee.
Comments may
be submitted to
todaysengineer@ieee.org.
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