The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts robotics team earned top honors at the Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology (BEST) Robotics Competition at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on Nov. 1.
The competition hosted by UALR’s Little Rock BEST hub featured 18 middle and high school teams from Arkansas, Alabama and Tennessee. Each fall, more than 850 middle and high schools and more than 18,000 students participate in similar competitions across the country, according to Auburn University’s BEST website.
BEST Robotics is a competition for middle- and high-school teams who are given six weeks to design, build and drive a robot to perform an assigned task. ASMSA won the BEST Award, which is awarded to the team that best embodies the concept of Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology. Winning the BEST Award is considered the highest achievement any team in the competition can accomplish.
The winner is determined by a combination of points from a display booth, a design process notebook and the robot performance. The ASMSA team placed first overall in the competition as well as second in the notebook competition and fourth in robot performance.
Nicholas Seward, an ASMSA instructor who specializes in computer programming and technology, coached the team. Though ASMSA teams have enjoyed success in previous years, he said this team was a standout group for several reasons.
“Our team has never worked so hard or been so deserving,” Seward said. “Out of our twenty-plus members, virtually every student was integral to our success. Teamwork on this level is rare.”
Through participation in project-based STEM program, students learn to analyze and solve problems utilizing the engineering design process, which helps them develop technological literacy skills. Asa Thacker, a senior from North Little Rock, said many of the elective courses he has taken at ASMSA were helpful in the design and construction processes.
“BEST Robotics provides a unique learning opportunity, especially in the form of cross-curricular learning,” Thacker said. “I was able to apply skills I learned in Engineering Design and Modern Manufacturing to complete not only the robot itself but also the supporting documentation.”
Thacker also believes the experiences students have through the various phases of the contest are the kind that engage students in exciting and meaningful ways.
“This form of learning gives students the opportunity to engage hands-on, and gain practical, real-world experience in the engineering discipline. It teaches valuable skills that cannot be conveyed through lecture alone, and teaches mechanical and technical skills that modern education tends to ignore,” he said.
In addition to the competition rules, Seward always poses an additional design challenge for the team. This year, he challenged students to build their robot primarily using PVC pipe. As a result of this challenge, the team named the robot Eugene in honor of German chemist Eugen Baumann, who discovered the polymer in 1872.
Kyle Reeves, a junior from Searcy, served as the primary driver for the team. He likened the experience to that of a quarterback in a high school football game.
“The joy and pressure felt by the driver on the field is similar to that of a football star on a Friday night,” Reeves said. “You experience a rush from the joy of doing what you love, yet are aware of the possibility of failure, and this is what motivates you. Drivers often get a lot of credit for a robot doing well in a tournament, but in reality, the best driver couldn't do anything without a great robot. It's the team that allows a driver to score and do well in a match; the driver just gets publicity because people see them drive well.”
As part of that team effort, the competition features several components beyond the design, construction and competition of the robot. Emphases in creativity, leadership, project management, teamwork and decision-making are traits that differentiate BEST from other robotics competitions.
“When you think about robotics, most people think all that matters is the building of the robot,” said Hannah Johnson, a junior from Redfield. “BEST Robotics is about so much more than that. Whether you are walking around in the mascot suit hugging random children, playing in RoboBand or writing a killer paper, there is something you can do it be a part of the team, and it is having those people there to support and cheer us on is really what makes BEST worth participating in.”
The team also mentored a group of students from Lake Hamilton Junior High School. The group spent a day at ASMSA learning about the design process and constructed a working robot by the time they left. The Lake Hamilton squad earned “Best Rookie Team” honors at the competition. Seward was thrilled to see additional interest in the program from another local school.
“The idea of BEST is to get as many students tangentially involved in engineering. Time and time again, students get drawn from ‘making robot posters’ to making actual robots,” he said.
Additional ASMSA team members include junior Aaron Hinkle of Earle, senior Tyler Cothern of Bigelow, junior Taryn Imamura Conway, senior Cara Kardas of Magnolia, junior William Yang of Little Rock, senior Joseph Zhang of Little Rock, senior Adam Bliss of North Little Rock, junior Bonnie Champion of Danville, junior Braeden Duke of Little Rock, junior Cassidy England of Russellville, senior Joni Everett of Mountain View, junior Andrew Hemund of Jonesboro, junior Christopher Heredia of Little Rock, junior Yeongjoon Hwang of Jonesboro, senior Jacob Johnston of Greenbrier, junior Copter Payakachat of Little Rock and junior Michelle Smith of Little Rock.
The team will compete next at the Frontier Trails Regional BEST Championship on Dec. 5 and 6 at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. Including ASMSA, a total of six teams qualified from the Little Rock BEST competition for the regional championship. Thirty-four teams from hubs in Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Colorado and Missouri will compete in the event.
A video of the robot in action is available online at http://asmsa.me/eugenepvcrobot. Photos from the Little Rock BEST hub competition may be viewed at http://asmsa.me/LRbestphotos. Additional information about BEST Robotics is available online at http://asmsa.me/bestroboticsinfo.