To be the best, you have to build the best.
And develop a business plan. And market effectively.
It looked as if Wiregrass students were playing a 3-D video game at the Wiregrass Commons Mall Sunday afternoon. Instead, they were preparing for an ever-changing workforce.
Wiregrass schools participating in the local BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology) program got a chance to show off some of their creations Sunday during Mall Day, a display of student-made robots designed to perform designed tasks.
The BEST program is in its second year in the Wiregrass and is connected to Auburn University’s K-12 outreach program.
The purpose of BEST is to engage students in a creative way to help them analyze and solve problems using an engineering design process. The program’s creators hope the exercise helps create students that are workforce-ready after school.
Fourteen teams representing 17 schools are participating in this year’s Wiregrass BEST project. Teams are given 42 days to design a robot that will function and complete certain tasks. Each team has a limited set of materials available, including PVC pipe, plywood, piano wire and a programmable electronic platform.
Mall Day is a precursor to the big BEST event, known as Game Day, scheduled for Oct. 22 at the Dothan Civic Center. Last year, Beverlye Middle School captured the first place overall BEST award. Houston County High School placed second and Wicksburg High School third.
“Basically, this is a problem-solving game,” said Bob Boyle, an executive with Michelin who serves as the BEST hub director for the Wiregrass.
Boyle said the project deals not only with engineering, but with business and administration as well. Boyle said students learn several lessons that will help in the future work world including teamwork, project management, abstract thinking and other areas.
Several local companies, along with the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, assist with the program.
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