Major robotics competition coming to Montgomery

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Montgomery students work on Raspberry Pi computer projects
Montgomery Advertiser

A national robotics competition will be held in Montgomery for the first time later this year, bringing over 1,000 of the region’s top STEM students for a multiday event at Alabama State University.

The school announced Friday it had been selected as the first Montgomery site for the BEST Robotics competition as some of the leaders of Montgomery’s tech movement looked on. The competition will be Oct. 18-19, involving middle and high school students from across the region.

ASU President Quinton Ross emphasized the school’s ongoing focus on STEM education. He made the announcement during a tech camp for area middle-schoolers that’s been held at ASU since its inception more than a decade ago. “ASU looks forward to working with the community and developing a highly skilled workforce through programs like BEST Robotics,” Ross said.

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Brew Tech robotics competitors, from left, William Percival, Trevor Taylor, and William Sumlin work on a robot on on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018, in Montgomery, Ala. The team ranked 22nd in world after a competition in December. (Photo: Albert Cesare / Advertiser)

The program asks teams of students to build robots to accomplish specific tasks, working through design problems and then facing off in a competition. It’s been around for more than 25 years, offering up different “games” for each competition, with a goal of getting kids more interested in STEM fields.

This year’s game hasn’t been announced. ASU is expected to host up to 25 competing schools.

More: Public, private school students face off at tech competition