Robots to compete in contest of skill, strategy

BOWLING GREEN, O.—Teams from 15 area high schools and middle schools will demonstrate their robotics skills during the first Falcon BEST Robotics Game Day on Oct. 26 at Bowling Green State University.

The day’s events, which are free and open to the public, begin with a welcome and parade of robots at 8 a.m. in Memorial Hall’s Anderson Arena. The competition will begin at 8:30 and will continue throughout most of the day, as the teams and their robots master Gatekeeper 2013, a competition of skill and strategy.

Area schools with teams competing this year are Anthony Wayne High School, Bowling Green High School, Cardinal Stritch Catholic High School, Elmwood Local, Findlay High School, Lima South Science/Technology Magnet School, Maumee Valley Country Day School, McComb High School, Patrick Henry High School, Penta Career Center, Perrysburg High School, Port Clinton High School, St. Mary Central Catholic High School  (Sandusky), Sylvania and Vanguard Technology Center.

Four playing fields will be set up, allowing four teams to compete during each of the three-minute rounds. During the preliminary round, four teams at a time will compete in five to eight matches, earning points based on the tasks completed. The top seven ranked teams advance to the semi-final round. A wild card match between the top four project engineering notebook teams will determine the eighth team for the semi-final round. The top four winners of the semi-final round, comprised of six matches, will move on to the three matches of the championship round.

The BEST Award is presented to the top three teams that best embody the concept of BEST - Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology. Criteria include teamwork, diversity of participation, sportsmanship, creativity, application of the engineering design process, ethics, positive attitude and school/community involvement. Awards are also given to the robotics game winner, and to the top teams that compete in oral presentations, educational displays, project engineering notebook and spirit/sportsmanship.

Falcon BEST is sponsored by BGSU; the College of Technology, Architecture and Applied Engineering; and the Northwest Ohio Center for Excellence in STEM Education. Local corporate sponsors include Honda, Lathrop and Argo-Hytos.

The public is encouraged to attend Game Day to cheer on the teams and their robots in the athletics-style competition. Four or five of the top teams will also be eligible to compete in the BEST regional contest Dec. 5 in Fargo, N.D.