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RM BEST Teacher / Mentor Newsletter 2
March 2021
2021 Highlights
Don't Miss Out - Registration is OPEN and Simulink license is available NOW!

  1. Your team will build a physical robot using our FREE robot kit
  2. Season expanded to 8-weeks
  3. New ONLINE Simulink and MATLAB version - NO downloads, or installations; collaborate through online sharing; store, manage; access your files anywhere.
  4. Improved BEST Robotics education program - More, Shorter, Earlier, Focused - bESTology starts in April and first team webinars start in May and new BESTedu website starts in June. First Simulink 6-week BEST webinars start in May.
More details below and additional details in future newsletters.

We'd love to see you and your team in 2021.
Please reply to this email if you have questions
or need help!
  • Please FORWARD this newsletter to others that might be interested. They may use this email address (RM.BEST.INFO.REQUEST@bestinc.org) to request to be added to the 2021 Distribution List.
  • Please REPLY if you do NOT want to be on our 2021 Distribution List
FALL COMPETITION
Teams Build a Robot this Fall
Expanded 8 Week Season:
In-Person Robot Build w/competition + ONLINE activities
  • Game
  • Name to be announced in April
  • Game Animation and Rules to be released at Kickoff
  • Robot Physical Build - robot kit provided at Kickoff
  • Robot Competition in person - one of the following
  • Standard 4-quadrant head-to head OR
  • Classroom 1-quadrant with provided field kit
  • Engineering Notebook - required
  • ONLINE BEST Award
  • Marketing Presentation
  • Virtual Team Exhibit and Student Interviews
  • Spirit and Sportsmanship -TBD
  • ONLINE Returning 2020 activities
  • Critical Design Review
  • BESTMania Skill Challenge
  • Minecraft Challenge
  • ONLINE Optional 2020 skills challenges - TBD offering
  • Robot modeling
  • Engineering drawings
  • Video design
  • Website design
  • Hub 8-week schedule and venues to be announced in June
2019 Championship Cheer
We're Optimistically
planning a
2021 DENVER BEST Regional Championship

6-10 December Online Activities TBD
+
11-12 December @ Arapahoe County Fairgrounds - head-to-head competition
Register NOW to Reserve a Spot

Please Complete Steps 1-2 ASAP

  • Step 1 - Login or Create Account - Lead Teacher and other teachers and mentors use the link above to Login or Create a new account.
  • Step 2 - Register Team Lead Teacher is expected to complete this step by selecting the blue Register a School button on the Schools page. Select Rocky Mountain BEST as your hub. Find your prior School Profile by selecting your school from the popup list of prior schools. OR If you are registering a new school, CREATE NEW School with button at bottom of the list.

Email will be sent when your team's registration is approved
PREPARE OVER SPRING & SUMMER
Free Training Program + Licenses
Online Education Program
bESTology: first of 9 weekly online postings to begin 5 April.

Teachers: We encourage you to incorporate bESTology into your curriculum, summer camps, enrichment activities and more.  All videos have been previewed and embedded to ensure child safety.
Students: Knowledge is Power! bESTology will teach you the skill sets to be successful in the workplace and in life. 
We challenge you to become a bESTologist. bESTology Link
Free Teacher Summer Training
Save the date: 13-15 July 2021
Free 3-day Teacher / Mentor Institute - a great way to refresh your knowledge

  • Intended for teachers, coaches, & mentors of BEST Robotics teams. Must be at least 18 to attend.
  • Participants will build and compete with a mini-BEST robot.
  • Classroom participation PLUS ~ 10 hours pre-classroom reading, testing, scoresheet judging.
  • Focused towards New(er) BEST teachers, even veterans will gain tips and valuable experience. 
  • ~3 hours of Colorado Continuing Education Units.
Additional details and registration instructions in future email

Looking for Panel Members: Please REPLY if you or one of your students might be interested in supporting 1-hour panels.
Improved BEST Robotics Training
We heard you: Emphasis on More, Shorter, Earlier, Focused Training

Weekly Wednesday Team Webinars Starting 5 May
  • A few Non-standard days as necessary
  • More details to come

NEW BESTedu - New home for all training/resources - Site Release in June
  • Training / workshop events
  • On-demand training
  • Training Calendar
  • Presentations and documents
  • More details to come
Thank you for your feedback, we're using it to improve our training
NEW MATLAB/Simulink
ONLINE Version
+
6-Week Simulink Webinars starting in May
Register your Team NOW
and
start your students on requesting a license
to participate in summer online Simulink Training



NEW MATLAB/Simulink ONLINE - Use Simulink with NO downloads, or installations!

  • MATLAB/Simulink ONLINE – now fully supported
  • Keyboard Control Only; No Joystick
  • Includes MATLAB Drive for File Storage
  • Ease the Student Computing Requirements
  • Runs on a dedicated remote host

Steps to access the complimentary license:

  1. Register your team in the BEST National Registry AND any BEST participant can be licensed (Requires Individual Account)
  2. NOW Available! 2021 Annual BEST MathWorks License by clicking Complimentary Software Request Software button at www.mathworks.com/best-robotics

3 Times to Participate in FREE 6-Week Simulink Webinars

  • Live Webinar offered twice by instructor - starting early May and again in late June
  • On-your own option - August into September
  • More details to come
POTENTIAL Electronics Workshop
If Sufficient Interest
BEST Robotics Inc Electronics Workshop
TBD - potentially 16 July - AM Class
How to use the provided IR Sensor Kit part to build and use an IR sensor.

Electrical design content specific to the IR sensor includes:
  • Introduction to Soldering (including practice time)
  • Introduction to BEST IR Sensor (how it works, how it can be used)
  • BEST IR sensor assembly (by students)
  • Testing the sensor operation (no software required)

Please REPLY if you or your students might be interested.
Willing to Help?
Willing to provide your contact information to a rookie BEST teacher / mentor to answer their questions and provide advice?

Please REPLY if you might be interested
2019 TMI Participants Robots
Inspiring 2020 Outbreak Game Videos
2020 Outbreak Game Physical Robot

  • Rocky Mountain BEST teams created a virtual Outbreak robot
  • Some 2020 BEST teams built a physical Outbreak robot
  • Check out Martin High School (Arlington, Texas) video - a highly successful 2020 Outbreak game robot.
  • 1.25 minutes
2020 Denver Region MathWorks Simulink Design Award Winner

  • Award presented to one team in each of the 3 BEST regions
  • Four Denver region teams competed including Blessed Miguel Pro school from Rocky Mountain BEST Hub
  • Winner best applied the Simulink Support Package for VEX
  • DuBois Area High School from Penn State Dubois BEST Hub won the Denver region award
  • Check out the required video from DuBois Area High School.
  • 3-minutes