What: 16th Annual Kansas BEST robotics competition
When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25
Where: Hartman Arena, Park City
Phone: 316-978-3045 (WSU Office of Strategic Communications)
Cost: Free 

The 16th Annual Kansas BEST robotics competition, designed to inspire and motivate high school students toward careers in engineering, science and technology, will be held from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, in Hartman Arena. Kansas BEST is sponsored by Wichita State University's College of Engineering.

Twenty-four schools from all areas of Kansas and one from Arkansas will compete in the Kansas BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology) event. This year's game is called “Blade Runner.” The challenge for the students is to design a robot that can transport wind turbine components and assemble two different sizes of turbines.

Students will give their robots a trial run on Practice Day from 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, Oct. 18, at Wichita State’s Heskett Center. Wichita City Council member Pete Meitzner will present a proclamation designating Oct. 25 as Kansas Best Day in the city of Wichita.

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. Working from identical kits, each team has had six weeks to design and build their robot.

The 2014 game includes an additional competition for the BEST Award, which goes to the team that best embodies the concept of Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology.

Following is the list of 24 teams competing this year: Ambassadors for Christ Academy (Bentonville, Ark.), Andale High School, Andover Central High School, Atchison High School, Augusta High School, Campus High School, Circle High School, Council Grove High School, Derby High School, El Dorado High School, Garden City High School, Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School, Pike Valley High School, Riverbend International School, Rose Hill High School, Salina South High School, Valley Center High School, Washburn Rural High School, West Franklin High School, Wichita Collegiate High School, Wichita East High School, Wichita Southeast High School, Wichita West High School and Wichita Home School.

Major sponsors for Kansas BEST are Textron Aviation, Spirit AeroSystems, Airbus, Great Plains Ventures and Siemens.

Winners of Kansas BEST 2014 will travel to Fort Smith, Ark., to compete in the Frontier Trails Regional Competition hosted by the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith at the Fort Smith Convention Center Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5-6.

For more information, visit the Kansas BEST website at www.wichita.edu/kansasbest.