BEST Kick-Off Day Schedule

Hello BEST Teams:

Here is the schedule and details for the Jackrabbit BEST Kick-Off on Saturday, Sept 8^th. I am also including an e-mail forward with some information for an online training webinar coming up on Tuesday. I am sending this to the team contacts that I have. Please forward this information as necessary.

Kick-Off Schedule:  (Location: SDSU University Student Union – Volstorff Ballroom)

9:30 AM               Doors Open and Team Check-In Begins

10:00 AM             Kick-Off (Unveiling of Field, Explanation of Rules, Demonstration, Q&A, Field Inspection)

12:00 Noon         Lunch (on your own) & Kit Check-Out Begins

1:00 - 3:00 PM    Training Sessions & More Program Details (Optional)

Additional Kick-Off Details:

Getting on campus & parking:  

As many of you know, there is a LOT of construction on campus and some of the streets and parking lots are blocked. (The lot east of the Union is closed. You will need to park west of the Union.) Here is some information to help you navigate around the SDSU campus…

If you are not familiar with the SDSU campus, this is a link to the SDSU map… http://www.sdstate.edu/index/maps/upload/CampusMap2011.pdf.

This second link shows where the construction and street blockings are on campus… http://www.sdstate.edu/campus/expansion/upload/ResHallConstMap.pdf.

The best way to enter campus would be from the south end via 13^th Avenue and then take Rotunda Lane to the parking lot west of the Student Union. Parking restrictions are NOT enforced in this lot on the weekends. You may park here for free without a pass and will NOT get a ticket.

The Volstorff Ballroom is on the east side of the building, but you will have to enter on the west side because of construction. As you enter the main door on the west side of the Union, walk as far east as you can, and you will find the Volstorff Ballroom.

Lunch:  

At noon we will break an hour for lunch. Lunch will be on your own, so if the students would like to save some money, they may wish to pack a lunch. For those that bring money, the Market cafeteria and Einstein’s Bagels in the Student Union will be open for students to purchase a meal there, or the other restaurants in town are also an option.

Kit Check-Out:  Teams may check-out their kits any time after 12:00.

Afternoon Training:

After lunch from 1:00-3:00 we will have some training presentations and share additional program details. Attendance in the afternoon is optional for the teams, but since it is the first BEST season for most students, it would be very beneficial if you are able to stay. However, we realize that some of you have other events to get to and others have hours of travel ahead of them. You may stay for all or part of the afternoon as it works for your team.

MathWorks/Simulink Training:  

The forwarded message below contains information about an on-line webinar that you and/or your students may attend (Sept 4). Please be aware that it is a tool that the team may use if they wish. It is not required. There are so many resources available! [It’s kind of like my cell phone. It has so many bells and whistles! I only need it to make phone calls, but there is so much more available. I don’t want any teams to get overwhelmed with all of the tools available. Like the phone, one can start with the basics of just making a basic phone call and can add pictures, texting, and web ‘stuff’ later.]

Also, related to software, you will be getting your software options (easy C, Robot C, MathWorks) and any related access key information in your packets on September 8^th.

MathWorks will be hosting a training webinar for their Simulink programming software for BEST Robotics on Tuesday, September 4, from 5pm-6pm Central time.  Please notify your teams that this training will be available.  Anyone can register for the webinar through the link on the BRI website, www.bestinc.org, under the Announcements section.