What do Seaside Neighborhood School, the 1980s film “Ghostbusters” and bug-grabbing robots have in common? Why, the Emerald Coast B.E.S.T. Robotics Competition, of course.

Now in its fifth year, the Seaside Robotics Team has worked out all the bugs, taking an overall win at the Emerald Coast B.E.S.T. Robotics Competition held Oct. 29 at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. The team edged out 20 adversaries to earn a spot in the South’s B.E.S.T. Competition to be held at Auburn University Dec. 2-3.

The Robotics B.E.S.T. competitions, Boosting Engineering Science and Technology, are a part of a larger Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) movement designed to sustain young students’ interest in these fields.

For this year’s B.E.S.T. Robotics competitions, students were tasked with creating a working robot that could grab and move objects representing genetically engineered bugs, and deposit them into a wooden holding area.

Although the robot was essential to Seaside’s overall win, the project was not just for future engineers, as it drew upon the talents of each of the Seaside School students, all of whom contributed. Whether a part of marketing, building, or cheering, the students excelled, taking multiple first-place wins in the competition.

The award-winning project, which lasted 42 days from start to finish, began with a theme. The students, realizing they had a short amount of time to bring the project to fruition, needed help, but were left wondering — Who are we gonna call?

Inspiration struck as if from a proton beam, and the students recalled the 1984 film “Ghostbusters.” The students proclaimed themselves “Bug Busters,” later adding their marketing slogan: “Who you gonna call? Bug Busters! We ain’t afraid of no bugs.”

“The Ghostbusters contained ghosts without harming them, which is what we were doing with the bugs,” said eighth-grader Ellie Cunningham, a member of the Team Exhibits and Interviews team.

As for who to call for help, the students did not have to look far for the expertise they needed.

Seaside Neighborhood School teachers were on hand to help the students at school. Science teacher Kim Mixon, language arts teachers Denise Findley, yearbook and technology teacher Lisa Porter, and journalism teacher Elaine Parrett integrated parts of the project into their curriculum.

The robot enthusiasts also looked to the community for expertise, calling into service the skills of engineers at the Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate on Eglin Air Force Base. Senior aerospace engineer Dr. Christopher Rahaim, associate industrial engineer Theresa English and senior mechanical engineer Dan Brubaker, husband of Seaside Neighborhood School Principal Cathy Brubaker, offered their services to guide the creation. The builders constructed cardboard prototypes and brought them to the panel of engineers for evaluation. The engineers asked questions about each prototype, prompting the students to assess aspects of each, and choose the best parts for the final robot.

The students ended up with “Buggy,” also lovingly called “Twitchy,” a wheeled robot which uses a cupped claw to grab one-pound “termites,” Styrofoam ball “flies” and moving Hex bug “cockroaches.” Once it grabbed the bugs in its claw, Buggy maneuvered over wooden obstacles to deposit them into a containment chamber. The students earned points for each bug safely captured, and a bonus for delivery of tennis ball “food.”

Once all the bugs had been worked out in the robot creation, the next task for the Bug Busters was to hone their public speaking skills for the marketing presentation and interview portion of the competition. Journalism teacher Elaine Parrett aided the students in creating a concise presentation of their Bug Busters project. The students also created a website with her assistance. Check out the Seaside Bug Busters’ website at walton.k12.fl.us/schools/sns/robotics/index.htm.

All of the jitters of public speaking were calmed with the help of Daniel Frankfurt. A member of the Destin chapter of Toastmasters, Frankfurt visited the students to give them tips on successfully communicating their project theme and purpose.

Lee Cox was a part of the six-member marketing team, which was in charge of community outreach.

 “We went to Butler and Bay elementary schools, Dr. Runnels’ orthodontic office, and held a fundraiser at the premier of ‘Real Steel,’ ” said Lee.

Another part of the marketing portion was creating a booth for the Oct. 29 competition. Calling again on the inspiration of “Ghostbusters,” the booth was made to look like a firehouse, and was decorated with photos of genetics, the life cycle of termites, and the anatomy of flies. The display included a looped iPad video of the brainstorming process.

Those of the 116-member student body who were not presenting or driving the robot populated the cheering section. This Spirit and Sportsmanship-award-winning section included Seaside School band’s drummers, and a shark and two cockroach mascots. The students cheered so spiritedly for their own school, and for its adversaries, they earned first place.

Because each student was integral in the project’s success, the entire school will be present at Auburn University for the next step in the competition.

When the Seaside team comes up against more than 50 worthy adversaries in early December, it will have nothing to fear — bugs, competitors, or otherwise.

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