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By Joe Kleinsasser

Area high school students are shown a remote-controlled robot during the kickoff for a new sports-like technology contest that combines the excitement of a high school football game with the strategy of a chess match and the intellectual challenge of a science fair. Students will bring similar robots they built to the contest Oct. 30 in Levitt Arena.

Robots will overrun Levitt Arena Saturday, Oct. 30, but university officials are not concerned. In fact, they are rolling out the welcome mat.

It’s not an alien experience. Rather, it’s a high school competition designed to inspire and motivate students toward careers in engineering, science and technology.

Kansas BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology) is sponsoring "Rocket Race: The Alien Escape!" from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30. Admission is free.

The sports-like technology contest combines the excitement of a high school football game with the strategy of a chess match and the intellectual challenge of a science fair.

Mike Kennedy, voice of the Shockers on KNSS radio, will announce the competition.

Student teams representing 14 schools and organizations have been preparing for the competition since kickoff day Sept. 18.

Teams will test their robots at Towne East Square next to Dillard’s from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23.

The object of this year’s game is for students to design and build a remote-controlled device to move game pieces from initial locations to one of three scoring areas.

Games are played with four teams at once. Points are awarded for certain objectives. The team with the most points wins.

The winning Kansas team will receive an expense-paid trip (up to $2,000) to compete in the national competition at Texas A&M University Nov. 19-20.

Alumni and friends comprising the College of Engineering Dean’s Circle are coordinating Kansas BEST.

Event co-chairs Richard Holloway and Richard Tumlinson were inspired to try Kansas BEST in Wichita after watching the 1998 national finals at Texas A&M.

Running an event of this magnitude involves a lot of people. Holloway estimates that more than 100 people, not including high school students, are making the competition a reality.

"There are at least 21 teachers heading the 14 teams, 61 mentors who guide and coach the teams, and a core group of about 30 who have done the planning, recruiting, promotion, organization and management."

Holloway is looking forward to the big day. "We have an outstanding group of volunteers and have accomplished a great deal to get to this point. Now that the kits are in the hands of the school teams, I have heard nothing but positive comments from everyone involved.

"The high school kids are having a ball and don’t yet realize how much they are learning while having all this fun. There’s a wonderful feeling of satisfaction watching something we have worked on so hard, for so long, coming to fruition with such good results for everyone involved."

Holloway says high school students are learning the engineering process, from developing teamwork to getting a complex job accomplished to competing with their peers on a level playing field.

"They will build confidence in their ability to brainstorm original ideas and be motivated toward getting higher education in science, technology, engineering or some other field," says Holloway.

"In the long term, we hope that students who participate in BEST will be better prepared to meet the challenges of the increasingly complex society we live in."

This is the first Kansas BEST competition, but it won’t be the last, according to Holloway.

He says the Dean’s Circle plans to expand the program to Lawrence, Manhattan and Pittsburgh next year with the goal of getting additional hubs.

In addition to WSU’s College of Engineering, Kansas BEST is receiving support from The Boeing Co., Bombardier Aerospace, Cessna Aircraft Co., KGE, and Raytheon Aircraft.