AISD to Host BEST Robotics State Qualifying Tournament Oct. 22

By Arlington Independent School District

Posted on October 21, 2016, October 21, 2016

The Arlington ISD will host a Boosting Engineering Science and Technology - or BEST - Robotics tournament on Oct. 22, 2016 as schools vie to qualify for the first-ever UIL Robotics: BEST Division state championship.

22 teams from the Tarrant County-area will compete from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday in the gyms at Lamar High School, 1400 W. Lamar Blvd., in Arlington.

UIL robotics is divided into two divisions: BEST Division and FIRST Division. The inaugural UIL robotics pilot program began during the 2015-2016 school year.

BEST is a middle and high school robotics competition that has a mission to engage and excite students about engineering, science and technology as well as to inspire them to pursue careers in these fields. The initial BEST Division championships will take place Dec. 8-9, 2016, at the Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco.

FIRST Division includes a FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) and First Robotics Competition (FRC). The initial FIRST Division state championship was July 28-30, 2016, at the Austin Convention Center.