BotNews: Botball Season 2008
December 2007
In This Issue
Create Giveaway
Beyond Botball Game

Another Month, Another Create Giveaway!

Congrats to Team 08-0045 - Waipahu Intermediate School!

On November 30th, KISS Institute held the third drawing in a series of monthly drawings for registered Botball teams to win a Create Robotic Platform from iRobot! Every team registered by midnight (Central Time) the day before a scheduled drawing will automatically be entered in the drawing for that month. The earlier you register, the more chances you have to win!

THE LAST DRAWING WILL BE HELD ON:
  • December 20

Greetings!

There are only a few weeks left in the year - and that means that the 2008 Botball Season is almost here!  If you haven't registered your Botball team yet, please act quickly because the regional workshops begin the first weekend in January. 
Send Your Beyond Botball Team to the Moon!   

byb 08Is your Beyond Botball team ready to take on the bonus challenges of the Google Lunar Xprize?  Then get prepped for an out-of-this-world Beyond Botball Game! 

What is Beyond Botball?
Beyond Botball is a game distributed by KISS Institute for Practical Robotics to encourage ongoing robotics education beyond the high school level.  Beyond Botball teams must consist of AT LEAST one team member who has finished high school or its equivalent by January 2008. Team members who are middle or high school aged are required to be on a regular Botball team in order to participate in Beyond Botball.  The International Beyond Botball Tournament will be held this summer during the Global Conference on Educational Robotics. 

The 2008 Game
This year's challenge asks Beyond Botball teams to  journey into a moon crater and deposit sponsor markers that look suspiciously like 'tribbles' along the way. Then each team will need to bring ice from the bottom of the cave and any other interesting artifacts up to your landing site for further analysis. Keep your sensors peeled for other possible X Prize competitors trying to get the prize first.  Oh, and don't forget about the aliens!

If you are interested in finding out more about Beyond Botball (like game rules and other fine print), visit the Beyond Botball area on the Botball website:

http://www.botball.org/current-season/beyond_botball
2008 GCER:  Call for Papers
The 2008 Global Conference on Educational Robotics' Call for Papers has just been released on the Botball website.  If you or your students are considering attending the Global Conference and participating in the International Botball Tournament - you should also consider submitting a paper.  It might even save you a bit of $$$! 

New for 2008
All Global Conference participants who submit an accepted paper or showcase for the conference will receive a discounted registration rate of $75. (The regular registration rate is $80 per person.) 

To find out more about paper submissions, please visit the call for papers area on the Botball website:
http://www.botball.org/current-season/GCER/call_for_papers

Special Session on Research on Robotics in STEM Education
If you are in college and beyond and you would like your paper to be rigorously reviewed, please respond to our Call for Papers: Special Session on Research on Robotics in STEM Education.  
Get Ready for 2008!
If you aren't sure when and where your regional events are taking place, please take the time to check out the Season Schedule on the Botball website.  You can also make sure your team is registered by perusing the 2008 Regions and Teams list. 

See you next year,
 

Jenny Grigsby
Public Outreach Coordinator
KISS Institute for Practical Robotics