By Josh Bergeron

The Selma Times-Journal

On a dreary Saturday morning, more than a hundred Black Belt-area students gathered in the gym of Wallace Community College-Selma.

The students slowly circled around several structures — made of wood, plastic and even a bit of duct tape. They measured distances and jotted down notes.

It was the beginning of Selma BEST Robotics’ 42-day frenzy to build a robot capable of lifting, pushing, pulling and a myriad of other tasks.

The group, in its second year, consists of nine teams from nearby middle and high schools.

One week before competition day, teams will once again gather in Wallace’s gym to make final adjustments and test the obstacle course.

All teams are given the same materials and cannot use anything else to construct the robots, but the final results always end up different, Selma BEST Robotics Director Johnny Moss.

“You really don’t know what you’ll get on competition day,” Moss said.

Each year the program takes on a new educational theme. Moss said this year’s theme is gatekeepers.

Four teams compete per three-minute match and points are awarded on successful completion of assigned tasks. Teams compete until the championship round — where the top four teams  compete — and a winner is chosen. But students aren’t simply building a robot.

Moss said the teams are judged on several different categories — detail of the engineering notebook, the appearance of the team’s exhibit, overall presentation and team spirit.

Paramount Junior High School math teacher James Kennedy said the many categories of judging gets students involved who may not like engineering or numbers.

The school, located in Boligee, has nearly 20 members on its team this year. Kennedy said each team member plays a specific part in helping the team to victory.

If someone is a good public speaker, maybe they will do the presentation part,” he said. “Every participates by doing what they are good at. We think that the program is such a great thing that we included it in our school improvement plan.”

Black Belt schools aren’t the only ones that are passionate about robotics.

There are 52 BEST Robotics hubs in the United States, 12 of which are in Alabama.

BEST — Boosting Engineering Science and Technology — got its start in 1993, when two engineers for Texas Instruments founded the program after watching a group of freshmen at Massachusetts Institute of Technology build a robot.

After Selma BEST Robotics hosts its championship, Moss said two teams will move onto the regional championship in Auburn.

The program does more than give students a hands-on learning experience. Moss said some colleges, including Wallace, offer scholarships for students that excel in the robotics competition.

“It’s a great thing for students to be able to take what’s learned in the classroom, apply it in a fun way and possibly get a college scholarship for it,” Moss said.