Contact: Robbie Ward
Students from a dozen state middle and high schools will compete Friday and Saturday [Oct. 19 and 20] in a Mississippi State competition designed to introduce them to engineering concepts.
The university's 2007 Bagley College of Engineering is sponsoring "Bulldog BEST 2007." Involving sixth-12th-graders, BEST is an acronym for boosting engineering, science and technology.
Six weeks ago, each school's team received a box of materials to construct the robots; no other materials are allowed.
This year's robotic competition, "Space Odyssey," will have teams building a remote-controlled robot that can operate in a futuristic scenario. The challenge calls for the machines to travel to Mars and retrieve important research data for each respective team.
Friday evening's events at the Swalm Chemical Engineering Building also include oral presentations and robotic, remote-control driving practice. Saturday morning, official competition begins in the nearby McCarthy Gym, with championship rounds taking place during the afternoon.
Winners will advance to the South's BEST regional competition in Auburn, Ala.
While fostering critical thinking, imagination and relationship building skills, program coordinators say the immediate goal of BEST is to encourage students to consider taking pre-collegiate courses that can lead ultimately to careers in engineering, science and technology.
For more information about Bulldog BEST and a complete schedule, as well as a list of schools competing, visit www.bagley.msstate.edu/outreach/bestpub/index.htm.
Emma Seiler, coordinator for the college's K-12 Outreach Programs, may be reached at eseiler@engr.msstate.edu or 662-325-1360. Visit for more general program information.