Dowell TCEA NXT/EV3 Robotics Contest

Engineering Competitions

Collin County Boosting Engineering, Science, & Technology

Sept. - Oct. 2015

Links:
CoCo BEST Website
BEST Website

What is BEST?

The BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology) program is a sports-like technology competition that hopes to inspire and motivate students towards studies and careers in engineering, science, and technology. Collin County (CoCo BEST) is one of several hubs throughout the state and nation. 
What sets this program apart from others is:

• Students have the experience. Engineers and other coaches are present only to guide, not to design and build.
• Schools participate with no entry fee or kit cost.
• All hub sites use the same kit, game design, schedule, and rules.

A team of students from area schools is assisted by a small group of technology coaches from local industries to design and build a radio-controlled machine to accomplish a defined task. The technology contest is designed to simulate a real-world business and engineering environment including:

• Specifications (weight, size, functionality)
• Time to Market (time to market - 6 weeks)
• Limited Resources (use only the kit of parts provided)

What is CoCo BEST?

CoCo Best is the Collin County hub of the Texas Boosting Engineering Science and Technology (BEST) contest. The contest is for everyone, not just potential engineers or scientists. Graphical arts, music, fundraising, organizational skills, leadership, and teaming are just a few of the additional skills emphasized. About 24 teams will participate this year.

National Engineers' Week Future City

Sept. 2015 - Jan. 2016

Links:
National Website
North Texas Region

What is Future City?

The Future City Competition is a national, project-based learning experience where students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade imagine, design, and build cities of the future. Students work as a team with an educator and engineer mentor to plan cities using SimCity™ 4 Deluxe software; research and write solutions to an engineering problem; build tabletop scale models with recycled materials; and present their ideas before judges at Regional Competitions in January. Regional winners represent their region at the National Finals in Washington, DC in February. 

Engages Kids in Engineering and so much more

This flexible, cross-curricular educational program gives students an opportunity to do the things that engineers do—identify problems; brainstorm ideas; design solutions; test, retest and build; and share their results. This process is called the engineering design process. With this at its center, Future City is an engaging way to build students’ 21st century skills. Students participating in Future City:    

• Apply math and science concepts to real-world issues
• Develop writing, public speaking, problem solving, and time management skills
• Research and propose solutions to engineering challenges
• Discover different types of engineering and explore careers options
• Learn how their communities work and become better citizens
• Develop strong teamwork skills