Elliott Group takes lead role in Wolverine BEST robotics

A Jeannette, Pa.-based engineering firm is now the lead sponsor of the annual scholastic robot-building competition hosted by Grove City College.

Wolverine BEST presented by Elliott Group kicked off earlier this month when middle and high school students from more than a dozen local public, parochial and Christian schools, along with a homeschool collaborative, visited Grove City College for a briefing on this year’s BEST Robotics game.

Elliott Group – which designs, manufacturers and services turbomachinery for a global clientele – signed on as the competition’s lead sponsor this year to support BEST’s ultimate goal, which is to inspire students to pursue degrees and careers in critical STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines. 

Michael Lordi, chief operating officer of Elliott Group, and a Grove City College alumnus, was on campus earlier this month to meet with the participating students as they learned about the game they’ll be playing and picked up robot-building materials supplied by the engineering firm’s sponsorship. Lordi encouraged the students: “Be curious, seek answers and celebrate success – and failures – together.”

“As a manufacturer of custom-engineered turbomachinery, we have an interest in engaging and encouraging the next generation of engineers. The BEST Robotics program is a great way to do this,” Elliott Group Corporate Communications Manager Christiann Bash said.

Wolverine Best presented by Elliott Group is also supported by Integrated Industrial Technologies, PPG Industries and Grove City College. Stephanie Adams, Grove City College ABET Coordinator, serves as Wolverine BEST Hub director.

This is the seventh year that Grove City College has hosted the Wolverine BEST regional event. Student teams will be building robots to compete in a game called “Bet the Farm”. The objective is to use teamwork and innovative thinking to create a machine that can execute a series of tasks better and faster than the competition.

Grove City College serves as a BEST Hub in order to provide high school and middle school students an opportunity to learn more about engineering and technology by solving a real world problem while mixing it with the fun of a competition. In addition, BEST Robotics provides a venue that enables students to see that in addition to the design work, engineering also involves marketing, teamwork, and detailed documentation through an engineering notebook. Hosting the competition also enables hundreds of high school students to visit and experience the Grove City College campus. 

BEST Robotics is a national robotics competition that exposes students to important STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) concepts through a fun, hands-on experience that tests their problem-solving, design and engineering skills.

Wolverine BEST continues on Oct. 15 at Ross Park Mall where teams will test their robots and give the public a chance to see what the competition is about. The final contest comes on Friday, Oct. 28, and Saturday, Oct. 29 on the campus of Grove City College, when teams will make marketing presentations about their efforts and put their robots to the test on game day.

Schools participating in the event are: Clarion Area High School, Cornerstone Prep, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, FINS, Grove City High School, Mercer Area High School, Slippery Rock Middle School, Union Area High School, West Middlesex High School, Christian Life Academy, Commodore Perry High School, Grove City Area Homeschoolers, Kennedy Catholic High School, Commodore Perry Middle School, Franklin Area Middle School, Holy Trinity School, Redeemer Lutheran School, Grove City Middle School, and Keystone High School.

Elliott Group is a global leader in the design, manufacture, and service of technically advanced centrifugal compressors, steam turbines, power recover expanders and axial compressors used in the petrochemical, refining, oil and gas and process industries, as well as in power applications. The company employs 2,600 people in 40 locations around the world. Elliott Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ebara Corporation, a major industrial conglomerate headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Ebara employs 15,000 people and has annual sales of $5 billion. 

To learn more about Wolverine BEST presented by Elliott Group, visit www.gcc.edu/BEST.

Elliott Group takes lead role in Wolverine BEST robotics

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