Grove City College to host BEST competition

​Hundreds of student robot builders will descend on the campus of Grove City College this weekend for Wolverine BEST presented by Elliott Group.

The ‘bot building competition tests high- and middle-school students’ problem solving abilities and engineering skills while encouraging students to find the fun in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education. Winners of the Wolverine BEST regional contest can go onto national competition.

This is the seventh year that Grove City College has hosted the Wolverine BEST regional event. Nineteen student teams will be building robots to compete in a game called “Bet the Farm”. The objective is to use teamwork and innovative thinking to create a machine that can execute a series of tasks better and faster than the competition.

Grove City College students will be among the volunteers helping behind the scenes. The involvement of College students “will give the participating high school students a better idea of the personality of the campus,” Stephanie Adams, Grove City College ABET Coordinator and Wolverine BEST Hub director, said.

Grove City College serves as a BEST Hub in order to provide high- and middle-school students an opportunity to learn more about engineering and technology by solving a real world problem while mixing it with the fun of a competition. In addition, BEST Robotics provides a venue that enables students to see that in addition to the design work, engineering also involves marketing, teamwork, and detailed documentation through an engineering notebook. Hosting the competition also enables hundreds of students to visit and experience the Grove City College campus. 

While on campus, teams will make marketing presentations about their efforts on Friday, Oct. 28. They will put their robots to the test from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, during game day, which resembles a high-energy athletic contest as much as a science fair, with the stands of the College’s Arena filled with team supporters, school mascots and even pep bands.  

Schools participating in the event are: Clarion Area High School, Cornerstone Prep, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, FINS, Grove City High School, Mercer Area High School, Slippery Rock Middle School, Union Area High School, West Middlesex High School, Christian Life Academy, Commodore Perry High School, Grove City Area Homeschoolers, Kennedy Catholic High School, Commodore Perry Middle School, Franklin Area Middle School, Holy Trinity School, Redeemer Lutheran School, Grove City Middle School, and Keystone High School.

Elliott Group – which designs, manufacturers and services turbomachinery for a global clientele – signed on as the competition’s lead sponsor this year to support BEST’s ultimate goal, which is to inspire students to pursue degrees and careers in critical STEM disciplines. Grove City College Wolverine Best presented by Elliott Group is also supported by Integrated Industrial Technologies, PPG Industries and Grove City College.