North Dakota State University's College of Engineering and Architecture will kick off the Bison BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology) Robotics Competition on Sept. 12. The six-week competition will conclude Oct. 23-24 at the Fargo Civic Auditorium. This is the third year that NDSU is hosting a hub for BEST Robotics.

The competition offers hands-on, real world, engineering-based experience to middle and high school students. The mission of BEST Robotics is to inspire students to pursue careers in engineering, science, technology and math through participation in a sports-like science and engineering-based robotics competition.

A total of 28 schools are competing this year. At the kick-off event, each school receives an identical kit of equipment and parts and a set of game rules. The team then has six weeks to design, build and test a radio-controlled robot that will outperform other robots. The competition is free for schools to participate.

There are two parallel competitions. The first competition is a robotics game, which is based on an annual theme with four teams competing at once in a series of three-minute matches. The other competition is for the BEST Award, which is presented to the team that best embodies the concept of "Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology." Elements include a project engineering notebook, oral presentation, table display, and spirit and sportsmanship.

Engineers and other technical professionals from local industries serve as team mentors who advise and guide students through the design and construction for their robot.