Wichita State University 1845 Fairmount Wichita, KS 67260 316-978-3456 webmaster@wichita.edu
Kansas BEST 2011 Game Day
The 13th Annual Kansas BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology) robotics competition, designed to inspire and motivate high school students toward careers in engineering, science and technology, was held on Saturday, November 5, 2011 in Wichita State University's Charles Koch Arena. Twenty-nine high schools and organizations from Arkansas and all areas of Kansas competed in this year's event called “BUGS!”
Game Day Winners
BEST Award:
1st Place
Wichita Home School
2nd Place
Circle High School
3rd Place
Campus High School
4th Place
Rose Hill High School
Game Award:
1st Place
Ambassadors for Christ Academy
2nd Place
Wichita Northeast Magnet High School
3rd Place
Wichita Home School
4th Place
Madison High School
Special Awards:
Boeing "Creativity" Award
1st Place
Ambassadors for Christ Academy
2nd Place
Wichita Home School
3rd Place
Wichita Northeast Magnet High School
Spirit AeroSystems "Most Robust Design" Award
1st Place
Ambassadors for Christ Academy
2nd Place
Panther Creek Academy
3rd Place
Wichita Northeast Magnet High School
Bombardier Learjet "Craftsmanship" Award
1st Place
Wichita West High School
2nd Place
Rose Hill High School
3rd Place
Derby High School
Cessna Aircraft "Teamwork" Award
1st Place
Rose Hill High School
2nd Place
Circle High School
3rd Place
Wichita Home School
"Sportsmanship" Award
Winner
Circle High School
Runner Up
Wichita Home School
BEST is an event that inspires and motivates students towards careers in engineering, science and technology through participation in a sports-like technology contest. The BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science & Technology) competition motivates students by challenging them to build a remotely controlled robot that accomplishes a defined task within a competitive setting.
Volunteer professional engineers and school coaches guide student teams through the engineering process. Using only the materials in the BEST-provided kits, students have six weeks to design, develop and test a robot that can outperform their competitors. During this time the students experience the same problems, challenges, and breakthroughs that an engineering team encounters when it takes a product to market. In both cases there are team dynamics, time constraints, material constraints, and pressure from other teams who are trying to solve the same problem. Placed in a real situation, with real problems, the students provide real (and surprisingly ingenious) solutions.
The weeks of hard work culminate in a thrilling day-long competition which names one team the "BEST". This inspiring event combines the excitement of a high school football game with the strategy of a chess match and the intellectual challenge of a science fair.
The heart of BEST is the experience of solving a seemingly overwhelming task using simple engineering methods and old-fashioned teamwork. Thanks to this experience, students who participate in BEST are better prepared to meet the challenges of the Technology Age.
Inspired by attending the 1998 BEST Finals at Texas A & M, members of the Dean's Circle of the College of Engineering at Wichita State University were enthusiastic in reporting their observations. Members of the Dean's Circle unanimously voted to establish a BEST hub affiliated with the WSU College of Engineering, having the first Kansas competition in October, 1999. This is KANSAS BEST.
