The finals of the Bison BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology) Robotics Competition were held Oct. 30, at the Fargo Civic Memorial Auditorium. The competition was sponsored for the fourth year in a row by NDSU’s College of Engineering and Architecture.

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 mathematics through participation in a sports-like science- and engineering-based robotics competition.

“The atmosphere on Game Day is exciting … pep bands, mascots, cheerleaders, fans … all cheering for their robots. It’s an educational experience like no other in this region. You just have to see it to believe it,” said Alan Kallmeyer, professor and chair of mechanical engineering and Bison BEST game coordinator.

A total of 25 area schools entered the event this year. At the kick-off event on Sept. 18, each school received an identical kit of equipment and parts and a set of game rules. The teams were given six weeks to design, build and test a radio-controlled robot that outperformed other entries. Engineers and technical professionals from local industries served as team mentors who guided students through the design and construction of their robot.

Bison BEST Competition winners advance to the Frontier Trails BEST Regional Competition in Ft. Smith, Ariz., during December.

For additional information about the competition, contact Nancy Rossland at 1-7994 or nancy.rossland@ndsu.edu. More information also is available at www.bestinc.org and www.ndsu.edu/ndsu/cea/bison_best_new.