Birmingham Carver High School seniors Charles Yarbrough and Alexander Mays agree having Alabama Power on their robotics team made all the difference.

“Jim Dorsten and Arthur Burrell helped us through the whole process,” said Mays, Carver’s Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology (BEST) robotics team captain and a four-year veteran of the program. “When we had a problem, they were there to give us their opinion on changes we could make, and ways we could get around it and do it better.”

Maia Lake, Carver High School math and robotics teacher, added, “Jim and Arthur not only offered their advice on the technical aspects of the project, but students got the chance to ask them questions about career opportunities.”

While Corporate Headquarters Engineers Dorsten and Burrell mentored the Carver High team building a robot, Birmingham Division Engineer Nicole Hedrick helped students with their business plan. They were among 30 Birmingham Division and Corporate Headquarters employees who shared their expertise with teams from seven schools vying for top honors at the 2012 University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazer BEST Robotics Competition last fall.

BEST is a nationwide program designed to inspire middle and high school students about engineering, science and technology, and to pursue careers in these fields. Teams at each school are given materials, such as PVC pipe, couplings, string, plywood, screws, nuts, bolts, piano wire and aluminum paint. The students use all the items in the box to build in six weeks a robot that can perform specific tasks in three minutes.

Alabama Power employees statewide annually play an integral role in BEST. Last year, the company hosted the Central Alabama BEST competition at Talladega Superspeedway. Schools from eight east Alabama counties faced off in this tournament – one of seven Alabama BEST competitions. Talladega High won the Alabama Power Always On Award.

Eastern Division employees helped judge the engineering notebooks and marketing presentations the students submitted as part of the project. The judges included Talladega Engineering Supervisor Brian Doyle, Oak Grove Manager Steve Marlowe, Gadsden Engineering Supervisor Matt Cotney and Oak Grove Engineer Kelsey Dunn.

Eastern Division Engineer Grant Gilmer mentored the BEST team at Gadsden City High School. “I think the kids did a good job,” he said, adding the team placed sixth in the central Alabama competition. “They competed hard. But I think it was good for them to see that an engineering project like this one can be a struggle, and it helps to have experience and expertise on their side.”

Southeast Division Distribution Manager Jim Freind helped coordinate the competition and assisted the BEST Robotics Mall Day. During this practice event in Oxford, students put their robots through the paces in preparation for real competition. “BEST robotics is a great learning-based experience that prepares students for real life,” said Freind, a member of the Warrior team during his Anniston tenure. “That’s because in real life, you are faced with a problem, and you have to come up with a solution.

In Southeast Division, Eufaula Engineering Supervisor Cody Prickett and Dextra Lindsey, a co-op student from Alabama A&M University, were advisers to a Barbour County Middle School team.

“The students would bounce questions off us and ask us if certain materials would work,” said Prickett. “As an engineer, I enjoyed fostering the growth of these seventh- and eighth-graders, and seeing their excitement.”

Helping the four students build their first robot held special meaning for Lindsey, who attended the rural school. “I felt I was giving back to my school and community,” Lindsey said. “I have been blessed to go to college and work for Alabama Power. And I wanted those kids to know they can do it, too.”

Although the team did not place in the area competition, they won the BEST Duct Tape and Tears Award for their hard work.

Mobile Division employees took part in the Jubilee BEST Robotics Competition, as Alabama Power was a premier sponsor of the event at the University of South Alabama. The tournament drew 33 schools from coastal Alabama and Mississippi.

Mobile Division volunteers judged the teams’ engineering notebooks and marketing presentations, conducted interviews and evaluated displays. The Alabama Power Foundation donated $5,000 for the Most Creative Robot Award, which went to Cottage Hill Christian Academy.

“I’ve been involved in the competition for nine years and I still love it,” said Khanh Bailey, market specialist, Mobile Division. “It’s so much fun to see the kids’ creativity at that age. I think it’s great that building the robots helps them see there are cool jobs available right here in their own community.”

A leader in the UAB BEST program for 11 years, Dorsten said the competition continues to motivate students year after year.

“Not every kid learns the same way. With many, they have to do something to remember what they’ve learned,” said Dorsten. “You can teach a kid a lot of math and science when you put a power tool in his hand.”

By Carla Davis