FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                      October 18, 2006

ROBOTIC CONTEST TO SEE STUDENTS IN ‘LAUNDRY QUANDARY’ SATURDAY

            All robotics fans are welcome to attend the Heartland BEST Robotics competition Saturday in Northwestern Oklahoma State University’s Percefull Fieldhouse to see more than 250 middle and high school students from Oklahoma and Kansas compete in the “Laundry Quandary.”

            Preliminary rounds will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. where teams will be moving wet and dry laundry with their uniquely-built robots. This process will simulate a home-automated laundry system. Semi-final and final rounds will follow soon after the preliminary rounds are over. An awards presentation ceremony is scheduled for approximately 4 p.m.

            The sports-like atmosphere of friendly high-tech competition is free and open to the public.

            Registered to compete this year are the high schools from Burlington, Cheyenne, Edmond North, Fairview, Freedom, Inola, Kingston, Lawton Academy of Arts & Sciences, Lomega, Ponca City, Pratt, Kan., Shattuck, Stillwater Homeschool and Taloga. Middle school teams are coming from Fairview Chamberlain, Inola and Perry.

            BEST stands for Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology and is a national program offered free to area schools as a way to generate interest and enthusiasm among youth in the fields of math, engineering, science and technology.

            Students are judged on robot performance for the Game Award.  For the BEST Award, students are judged by compiling weighted scores of formal presentation, written documentation of their project, table display, robot performance on Game Day and sportsmanship.

            Heartland BEST at Northwestern is one of two “local hubs” in Oklahoma, said Tim Maharry, Heartland BEST director. There are more than 30 local hubs nationwide and three regional hubs.

            The top four teams from Heartland BEST will qualify to compete at Frontier Trails BEST at the University of Arkansas at Ft. Smith Nov. 2-4.

            For more information about the event, this organization, or how to get involved as a corporate sponsor or volunteer, contact Maharry at (580) 327-8583, or www.nwosu.edu/BEST.

-NW-

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