Robotics

2026 51Ʒ�� Kickoff 1 and 2 Competitions

eoboyle — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 22:39:27 +0000

2026 51Ʒ�� Kickoff 1 and 2 Competitions

Robotics

FIRST

Robotics Community Center

Robotics

eoboyle Thu, 06/25/2026 - 18:39

2026-09-12T06:30:00-0400 _2026-09-12T19:00:00-0400

2026-09-13T06:30:00-0400 _2026-09-13T19:00:00-0400

51Ʒ��

The 51Ʒ�� Kickoff competitions are held at the Connie & Jim John Recreation Center at 51Ʒ��.

Please note: These events are not an FIM event and FIM is not organizing, sponsoring or running the event.

Teams will play the 2026 season game using the 2026 season rules. These are two separate events held in one weekend. Teams may compete in one or both 51Ʒ�� Kickoff events, which is particularly beneficial for teams from out-of-state. Each team will be assigned a 10’ x 10' pit with access to electricity. Each team will be assigned 2 tables that they can use for team food/beverages.

The campus tour begins at 4:30 PM both days. Teams who participate in the campus tour at 4:30 PM will then be permitted to load their team items into their pit at 5:00 PM Standard load-in for teams that do not register to tour begins at 6:00 PM the night before their event or 6:30 AM the day of their event. Teams should register by 5:00 PM on Wednesday, September 9th.

Tours are limited, so please register soon Please complete only one registration per team.

The link for the early load-in tours will be provided in an email to registered teams.

Event Schedule:

Saturday, September 12th and Sunday, September 13th

6:30 AM – Pits Open 7:30 AM – Driver’s Meeting
8:00 AM – Opening Ceremonies
8:15 AM – Noon – Qualification Matches
Noon – 1:00 PM – Lunch Break
1:00 – 3:30 PM – Qualification Matches
3:30 PM – Alliance Selections
4:00 – 6:30 PM – Playoff Matches and closing awards ceremonies
7:00 PM– Event Ends and Venue Closes

Overview: Each event can welcome 40 teams Teams may register for both events (a great opportunity for out-of-state teams to compete multiple times in one travel period) Registration and Payment The registration fee for each event is $300 per team, per event The registration fees are non-refundable (teams should avoid registering early and then canceling at a later date) Registration is first come, first served

We encourage in and out of state teams to take advantage of the opportunity to compete in two separate events in one weekend

Payment can be made: Send a check made payable to 51Ʒ�� Robotics Note the Team # and the event(s) in the memo,
ex: Team 1234 - 51Ʒ�� Kickoff 1, 51Ʒ�� Kickoff 2, or 51Ʒ�� Kickoff 1 &2

Mail to: 51Ʒ��, Attn: Kim Shumaker
1700 University Ave, Flint, MI 48504

Pay by credit card: link for payment will be included in the email to registered teams

Meal vouchers can be purchased in advance for lunch for $12/person using the link in an email to registered teams. ONLY order the vouchers using the robotics portal. DO NOT order using another portal: admissions, welcome center, etc. The robotics center does not receive those vouchers nor the payments. Unused meal vouchers are not refundable but can be used at future competitions at 51Ʒ��. If you are unsure how many you need, please keep in mind that you can pay at the register for a higher fee.

Hotels: Preferred hotels with team discounts will be included in the email sent to registered teams.

Questions? Please email us at roboticscenter@kettering.edu

Students Test, Troubleshoot, and Fly at the North Central Aerial Drone Regional Championships, presented by Firefly Drone Shows

lmadaus — Thu, 28 May 2026 16:27:06 +0000

Students Test, Troubleshoot, and Fly at the North Central Aerial Drone Regional Championships, presented by Firefly Drone Shows

Recreation Center

Robotics

Robotics Community Center

lmadaus Thu, 05/28/2026 - 12:27

At the North Central Aerial Drone Regional Championships, presented by Firefly Drone Shows, students rarely sat still for long.

Inside 51Ʒ��’s Connie and Jim John Recreation Center, middle and high school teams from 10 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces moved constantly between competition fields and tables lined with laptops, controllers, batteries, and replacement parts as they reviewed flight footage, checked drone components, and discussed piloting and autonomous flight performance between Matches.

The activity extended well beyond the competition floor. Teams rehearsed piloting sequences in open space near the fields while others reviewed engineering logbooks and prepared for upcoming rounds.

“You could see students constantly adjusting and responding to problems throughout the day,” said Kim Shumaker, Director of Robotics Outreach & Robotics Center at 51Ʒ��. “They weren’t standing on the sidelines watching technology work. They were in the process. Testing things, troubleshooting failures, making decisions under time pressure, and immediately trying again when something didn’t go as planned.”

Coaches occasionally stepped in with guidance, but most revisions happened student-to-student in hurried conversations around laptops and performance data minutes before teams returned to the field. A missed gate, rough landing, or unstable autonomous sequence usually triggered another round of testing, debate, and revisions before competition resumed.

"What struck me most was how few students needed to be told what to do," said Matthew Sanker, Director of Sales and Business Development for Firefly Drone Shows. "When something went wrong, they weren't looking around for a coach to fix it. They were figuring out their next move. That kind of ownership is something you can't really teach in a classroom. Watching middle and high schoolers operate that way, with real urgency and real stakes, was genuinely exciting to see."

As competition rounds wrapped up Friday evening, many students traded laptops and telemetry screens for blankets and lawn chairs outside near the Recreation Center, joining families and spectators gathered across the field.

Shortly after sundown, Firefly Drone Shows launched hundreds of synchronized drones into the night sky above the 51Ʒ�� GM Mobility Research Center.

Advanced drones, designed and built by Firefly Drone Shows, moved in coordinated formations overhead, transforming technical precision into a large-scale public light performance visible across campus.

The night's drone show scaled up many of the same principles students had tested in competition, with hundreds of drones moving through synchronized formations overhead.

“The challenges students were working through are much more similar to what we do than people might expect,” Sanker said. "Whether you're flying a single drone through competition gates or hundreds of drones through a choreographed series of animations for a live audience, the core challenges are the same: timing, positioning, and making sure every piece of the system is talking to every other piece reliably."

The championship further highlighted 51Ʒ��’s growing role in Michigan’s broader robotics and STEM ecosystem through competitions, camps, workshops, and outreach initiatives that connect students with hands-on technical learning earlier in their educational journeys. Support from the GM Community Impact Grant and Magna Grant programs has also helped expand robotics center programming and aerial drone technologies at the university.

By the end of the night, students who had spent the day reviewing flight footage, adjusting code, and troubleshooting drones were gathered outside the Recreation Center, watching hundreds of aircraft move in coordinated formations across the sky above campus.

51Ʒ�� Robotics Team Goes 9–1, Captures Innovate Award at VEX U World Championship

lmadaus — Wed, 13 May 2026 18:55:31 +0000

51Ʒ�� Robotics Team Goes 9–1, Captures Innovate Award at VEX U World Championship

Robotics

lmadaus Wed, 05/13/2026 - 14:55

KUdos, 51Ʒ��’s robotics team, won 9 of 10 qualification matches at the 2026 VEX U World Championship in St. Louis. The team also earned the Innovate Award and advanced to elimination play in the Opportunity Division. Across those early matches, KUdos showed clean cycles, sound decision-making, and fewer errors than their opponents, which carried them into bracket play.

In this year’s game, Push Back, teams focused on maintaining control as blocks move frequently and scores can shift quickly. KUdos handled that dynamic well, remaining steady as matches tightened and avoiding the late errors that often determine outcomes.

The Innovate Award recognizes a single novel part of a team's robot or strategy, something unique among submissions at the event, well-documented from first sketch to final build, and actually in use on the field. For KUdos, that meant designing a custom electronics stack from the ground up: an odometry computer paired with team-built magnetic encoders for position tracking, a Limelight 3A vision camera running a trained neural network to spot the Match Loader, and a Raspberry Pi with a custom communication board tying it all together. It's a first for the team this year, integrating custom sensors and designing their own PCBs. Not just new hardware, but the integrated software stack written to drive it, turning a collection of parts into one system that the robot actually relies on every match.

Elimination matches are faster and less forgiving, where a missed cycle or slow response can decide the outcome. KUdos entered bracket play in the Opportunity Division and competed in that environment, where small adjustments carry weight and timing becomes increasingly critical.

“This kind of competition mirrors the conditions students will face in the workplace. They’re working within constraints, responding in real time, and relying on systems they’ve built and tested,” said Kim Shumaker, Director of the Robotics Center & Robotics Outreach at 51Ʒ��. “That experience is what builds confidence and prepares them to perform at a high level.”

The VEX U World Championship draws 150 of the top collegiate teams from around the world. The level is high across the board, and consistency is hard to maintain from one match to the next. Moving from a 9–1 qualification run into elimination play says something about how the team performed across that stretch.

“I've said it before, and I'll say it again, our main goal is to get better every year,” said Nathan Nguyen ’26, team captain, design and fabrication lead, and drive coach. “We showed how far we can go this season, but we're just getting started. Job’s not done.”

KUdos closes the 2026 season with a 35-11-1 record, a Design Award, Tournament Finalists, 2 Excellence Awards, & a World Championship Innoate Award, as well as experience in elimination rounds at the world championship level. It’s a clear step forward and a position the team can build from heading into the next cycle.

Students Test Competition Robots Weeks Before the Season at 51Ʒ��

lmadaus — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 14:22:53 +0000

Students Test Competition Robots Weeks Before the Season at 51Ʒ��

Robotics

FIRST

lmadaus Wed, 02/18/2026 - 09:22

Four weeks into a FIRST Robotics Competition season, most robots are still in development. But at 51Ʒ��, they were already operating in matches.

On Saturday, February 7, teams from Michigan and Indiana brought Kitbot, Everybot, and Robot in 3 Days (Ri3D) designs to the university’s Robotics Center for a mid-build competition, moving and developing systems from isolated testing into live match conditions.

Rather than waiting for official tournaments, teams evaluated scoring, control, and defensive interaction against active opponents, exposing performance limitations and informing redesign decisions.

Understanding This Year’s Game

This year’s game, REBUILT, emphasizes decision-making as much as mechanical capability. Alliances coordinate autonomous routines, respond to shifting scoring opportunities, and determine in seconds whether to collect, defend, or prepare for climbing.

A robot that performs reliably on its own may struggle once visibility narrows and partners share space. Simpler systems may outperform complex ones if they remain dependable, and alliance timing often determines whether scoring attempts count. Success depends on strategy, communication, and reliability under pressure, making early match play essential to understanding the game.

Throughout the day, robots continued to evolve. Teams refined control strategies, adjusted mechanisms between matches, and altered match approach as they encountered defensive pressure and field congestion.

Systems that performed consistently in isolation behaved differently in traffic. Mechanisms stalled. Operators compensated. And by the end of the event, many teams had already revised portions of their designs.

A Learning Tool Beyond the Building

The competition was broadcast live through the FUN Robotics Network and later published on its YouTube channel. The stream generated more than 15,000 total views, with live viewership increasing 58 percent compared to 2025.

“The Kitbot stream was a big success,” said Tyler Olds of the FUN Robotics Network. “Many teams watched to get an early look at scouting, and a short clip of Team 7211 Hollywood breaking the field has already reached about 50,000 views across platforms.”

Designing for the Real Game

Five teams participated in the event:

Team 9455 DinoMights — Hartland, Michigan
Team 7211 Hollywood — Holly, Michigan
Team RI3D@PNW — Hammond, Indiana
Team 10606 Foley Flare — Madison Heights, Michigan
Team 7197 Mountie Mega Bot — Jackson, Michigan

Team 7211 Hollywood and Team 10606 Foley Flare finished as event champions.

Why Early Competition Matters

Practice environments cannot fully reproduce match pressure, defensive interaction, or real-time decision-making.

By hosting the mid-build event, 51Ʒ�� enabled an earlier engineering cycle: build, evaluate, and refine, weeks before official events.

The outcome is not only improved robot performance, but also stronger preparation and a clearer understanding of how engineering concepts operate in real conditions.

KUdos Closes Regular Season with Excellence Award, Turns Focus to VEX-U World Championship

lmadaus — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:51:32 +0000

KUdos Closes Regular Season with Excellence Award, Turns Focus to VEX-U World Championship

Robotics

lmadaus Mon, 02/09/2026 - 09:51

51Ʒ��’s VEX-U robotics team, KUdos, concluded its regular competition schedule with its strongest all-around performance of the season, earning the Excellence Award at the California Baptist University Open on January 31 in Riverside, California.

The result caps a season that has seen the team progress from an early Worlds qualification to consistent high finishes across multiple events, culminating in recognition for overall program performance rather than a single competitive category.

A Complete Event Performance

Competing against 13 collegiate teams from universities and community colleges across California and Nevada, KUdos placed near the top of the standings throughout the event.

The team gained the following awards and achievements:

Excellence Award
Finalists in elimination rounds
2nd place in combined Autonomous and Driver Skills
3rd in qualification rankings (6-0-1 record)

The Excellence Award, the highest-level honor presented at VEX-U events, recognizes performance across judging, documentation, teamwork, and on-field competition, requiring teams to rank near the top of qualification matches and skills challenges while demonstrating a complete engineering process.

Unlike performance-only awards, the honor evaluates how well a team plans, communicates, iterates, and executes across an entire competition cycle.

From Early Qualification to Consistency

Earlier this season, KUdos qualified for the VEX-U World Championship and earned a Design Award recognizing its engineering process and documentation. Subsequent events tested whether the team could translate preparation into repeatable results.

The California Baptist University Open marked the first time this season the team combined judged recognition with a deep elimination run and top-tier skills performance at the same event.

The progression reflects a shift from building a competitive robot to operating a fully coordinated program, managing match strategy, technical iteration, and communication under tournament conditions.

Team Members

Nathan Nguyen ‘26, B-Section Team Captain, Lead Designer & Fabricator, 24" Drive Coach, Pit Crew
Andrew Bolthouse ‘27, A-Section Team Captain, 15" Drive Coach, Technician
Mactar Gueye ‘30, Programmer, Designer, 24" Driver
Daniel Buddington ‘30, Pit Crew, 15" Driver

Preparing for Worlds

With its regular season complete, KUdos now shifts its focus to the VEX-U World Championship, where collegiate teams from around the world compete across autonomous programming, driver control, engineering interviews, and full tournament play.

Rather than entering Worlds as a newly qualified team, KUdos arrives after a schedule designed to expose the robot and team to different competitive styles, judging expectations, and match environments.

The Excellence Award performance serves as the final benchmark before international competition, demonstrating readiness across both technical execution and team operations.

The team now advances to the VEX-U World Championship following its most complete performance of the season.

Student Teams Earn Top Honors at the January Jetstream Jam, an RECF Aerial Drone Competition

lmadaus — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 15:28:01 +0000

Student Teams Earn Top Honors at the January Jetstream Jam, an RECF Aerial Drone Competition

Recreation Center

Robotics

lmadaus Tue, 02/03/2026 - 10:28

Middle school and high school student teams from Michigan and Ohio competed on January 31 at the January Jetstream Jam, an RECF Aerial Drone Competition event hosted by 51Ʒ�� in the Connie and Jim John Recreation Center.

The one-day event featured skills missions, teamwork matches, in-person judging, and digital flight logbooks. Teams were evaluated on piloting skills, autonomous flight programming, teamwork, communication, and aviation safety, in alignment with the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation (RECF) standards for the Aerial Drone Competition program.

“Across the RECF Aerial Drone Competition, we see teams that return year after year with a strong grasp of the program’s expectations,” said Kimberly Shumaker, Director, Robotics Outreach and Robotics Center at 51Ʒ��. “From skills and teamwork missions to coding and communications, students are challenged to perform across multiple areas. Teams like those from Caledonia reflect that sustained preparation and well-rounded approach, which is exactly what the All-Around Champion award is designed to recognize.”

The January Jetstream Jam is part of a broader commitment to hands-on STEM education supported by Financial Plus Credit Union, which has sponsored 51Ʒ��’s RECF robotics and Aerial Drone Competition programs from 2025 through 2027.

All-Around Champions

The All-Around Champion award recognizes teams that demonstrate strong performance across both judged and mission-based categories.

Middle School All-Around Champion:
7581B – Operation Platypus, Haslett Robotics Club, Haslett, Michigan
High School All-Around Champion:
13130A – Calvin and Hobbes, Caledonia High School, Caledonia, Michigan

Teamwork Mission Champions

The Teamwork Mission Champion award recognizes teams that demonstrate effective collaboration and performance in teamwork matches.

13130E – 404 Team Not Found, Caledonia High School, Caledonia, Michigan
13130G – Night Runners, Caledonia High School, Caledonia, Michigan

Skills Missions Champions

The Skills Missions Champion award recognizes top performance across autonomous flight and piloting skills missions.

High School Skills Missions Champion
13130G – Night Runners, Caledonia High School, Caledonia, Michigan
Middle School Skills Missions Champion
13790B – Talk to Me, Goose!!, Duncan Lake Middle School, Caledonia, Michigan

Additional Judged Awards

Several teams were recognized for achievement in specific judged categories.

Communications Mission Champion
13130D – Fly Guys, Caledonia High School, Caledonia, Michigan
Coding Award
13130F – Terrain Terrain Pull Up, Caledonia High School, Caledonia, Michigan
Airmanship Award
2700A – Team RUSH Fliers, Clarkston High School, Clarkston, Michigan
Judges Award
3223B – Hamady Hawkeye Drone Squad, Hamady Community High School, Flint, Michigan

The January Jetstream Jam concluded with teamwork elimination matches, finals, and awards, bringing together students, coaches, and volunteers for a full day of competition.

KUdos Builds Momentum at Gear Slingers Open on the Road to VEX-U Worlds

lmadaus — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:02:06 +0000

KUdos Builds Momentum at Gear Slingers Open on the Road to VEX-U Worlds

Robotics

lmadaus Thu, 01/22/2026 - 11:02

After qualifying for the VEX-U World Championship earlier this season, KUdos, 51Ʒ��’s collegiate robotics team, continued its schedule with a January appearance at the Gear Slingers Open.

Hosted January 18 at California Polytechnic State University, the Gear Slingers Open served as the college-level tournament during a one-day robotics competition weekend and was part of the global VEX Robotics Competition leading to the VEX-U World Championship. The event brought together 16 collegiate teams from across the West Coast, including UC Santa Barbara, California Baptist University, and CSU Northridge.

KUdos was one of only three teams at the event competing from outside California, and the only team representing the Midwest.

“What really stood out was the quality of the event,” said Nathan Nguyen ’26, team captain, design and fabrication lead, and drive coach. “It was well organized, fun, and gave us the chance to talk with teams we don’t normally compete against.”

Steady Performance in a Competitive Field

At the Gear Slingers Open, KUdos recorded results across multiple areas of competition. The team ranked third overall in qualification matches with a 7-0-1 record, advanced to the semifinals in elimination play, and placed second in combined autonomous and driver skills.

Those results placed KUdos in the upper tier of teams across qualification matches, skills challenges, and elimination rounds at the 16-team event.

“We’ve spent most of our time competing in the Midwest, especially early on when nearly all of our events were in Michigan,” Nguyen said. “Last year, we started traveling to other Midwestern states, and this season, with more team members from the West Coast, we decided to take the opportunity to compete out here. Seeing how other teams operate, how they approach competition, and how different events are run was eye-opening, and we learned a lot from the experience.”

Recognition for Alignment, Not Just Results

KUdos was also awarded the Excellence Award, the highest-level honor presented at VEX-U events, recognizing overall excellence across both judged and performance-based categories. The award incorporates the Design Award criteria along with a team’s on-field performance.

Judges evaluate Excellence Award candidates based on the quality and completeness of their Engineering Notebook, the effectiveness of their team interview, and the alignment between documented design decisions, communication, and robot performance during competition.

Earlier this season, KUdos earned a Design Award for its engineering process and documentation. At the Gear Slingers Open, the team paired that approach with results in qualification matches, skills challenges, and elimination play, earning Excellence Award recognition.

Team members included:

Nathan Nguyen ‘26, B-Section Team Captain, Lead Designer & Fabricator, 24" Drive Coach, Pit Crew
Andrew Bolthouse ‘27, A-Section Team Captain, 15" Drive Coach, Technician
Mactar Gueye ‘30, Programmer, Designer, 24” Driver
Daniel Buddington ‘30, Pit Crew, 15” Driver

“Earning an Excellence Award for the second season in a row means a lot, especially this early in the season,” Nguyen said. “When we started KUdos in 2022, we had big goals, but we didn’t know how quickly we’d get there. Over the past four years, we’ve grown from building robots with very limited resources to developing a competitive team and establishing ourselves in the VEX-U community. Every year, our goal is to improve, even if it’s just a little, and earning this award shows how far we’ve come.”

Looking Ahead

The Gear Slingers Open marked KUdos’s second competition of the season as part of the collegiate schedule leading toward the VEX-U World Championship. With one competition remaining (January 31 at California Baptist University), the team continues its schedule ahead of the VEX-U World Championship.

51Ʒ�� Robotics Center Awarded $20,000 GM Community Impact Grant

lmadaus — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 15:51:37 +0000

51Ʒ�� Robotics Center Awarded $20,000 GM Community Impact Grant

Grants

Robotics

FIRST

Robotics Community Center

VEX

Robotics

lmadaus Thu, 01/08/2026 - 10:51

51Ʒ�� has been awarded a $20,000 Community Impact Grant from General Motors to support robotics center programming that expands hands-on STEAM education opportunities for students in Flint and Genesee County.

The funding will support hands-on training for students and mentors involved in the university’s eight robotics teams, as well as participants in the 2026 Intro to Computer-Aided Fabrication course. Programming will include experiential learning with robotics and aerial drone technologies, providing students with direct opportunities to design, operate, and test advanced systems used in modern industries.

The grant also supports drone-focused activities that reflect growing real-world applications, including industrial inspection, logistics, and remote data collection, fields where automation and risk reduction are increasingly critical.

“51Ʒ��’s robotics and drone programs are built around applied learning. Our students don’t just study technology, they use it,” said Kim Shumaker, Director of 51Ʒ��’s Robotics Outreach & Robotics Center. “Grants like these help ensure more students can access meaningful, hands-on STEAM experiences that connect directly to future careers.”

The award is part of a broader $300,000 Community Impact Grant investment distributed to nine Genesee County nonprofit organizations. Through the program, General Motors is supporting youth education and community-focused groups, including the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Flint, Factory Two, and the Flint Children’s Museum, to advance STEAM education and road safety initiatives across the region.

“Local nonprofits can do their best work when they have support from local businesses, and we’re thrilled to contribute to their amazing and tireless efforts,” said Theo Lavergne, General Motors Flint Assembly plant executive director, in a statement issued by the company.

GM’s Community Impact Grants are selected in collaboration with local General Motors and United Auto Workers leaders and are designed to strengthen educational access, workforce development, and community well-being across the Flint area.

Beyond the grant funding, General Motors reports that its Flint-area employees contributed nearly $225,000 in personal donations and more than 10,500 volunteer hours to local causes in 2025 through GM Cares.

“I love this program because it helps bring our communities together,” Lavergne said, “It supports growth and learning, and allows our team members to see the direct impact that their hands, minds, and hearts have in the areas where we live and work.”

Fueling the Future: Alumni Association Awards $27,500 to High School Robotics Teams

lmadaus — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 16:41:10 +0000

Fueling the Future: Alumni Association Awards $27,500 to High School Robotics Teams

lmadaus Tue, 01/06/2026 - 11:41

The 51Ʒ��/GMI Alumni Association (KGMIAA) is backing the next generation of problem-solvers, announcing this week that it has awarded $27,500 in sponsorships to 55 high school robotics teams (FRC, FTC, and VEX). Teams applied from 16 different states.

This effort is part of a larger commitment by 51Ʒ�� to support robotics talent nationwide, both on and off campus. From hosting pre-college camps and national competitions to awarding scholarships, 51Ʒ�� is a recognized hub for students who begin their STEM journeys through robotics.

The initiative represents a strategic effort by the KGMIAA to directly support the University’s recruitment efforts. The sponsorships are funded through proceeds from the annual Major Sobey Golf Outing and the generous contributions of alumni and donors to the Boost Robotics Campaign.

These 55 teams are part of a broader national robotics ecosystem that includes thousands of FIRST, FTC, and VEX teams competing this season, many of whom will engage with 51Ʒ�� through events, camps, and campus visits.

"We were truly impressed by the high quality of all applications this year," said Mike Dubeck '88, Chair of the KGMIAA Board Recruitment Committee.

This year, applicants had the option to submit a video instead of a traditional essay. According to the committee, this gave teams a chance to showcase their engineering mindset, team dynamics, and creative energy in a more personal and compelling way.

"It is inspiring to see the caliber of talent and dedication in these high school students," Dubeck said. "By supporting these teams, we are not just funding robots; we are investing in future engineers and leaders who we hope will one day call 51Ʒ�� home."

The sponsored teams noted that the funds would be critical for competition success, with many planning to utilize the money for various needs, including paying for registration fees, covering travel expenses, and purchasing essential parts and equipment for their robots.

A Network of Mentors

Beyond the financial support, the campaign highlights the deep personal involvement of the University’s alumni network in STEM education. The committee reported that 112 51Ʒ��/GMI alumni are currently actively involved with these high school teams, serving as mentors, coaches, and technical and programming advisors.

"The alumni engagement we’ve seen through robotics is phenomenal," said Eric Szczepanski, Director of Alumni Engagement at 51Ʒ��. "To learn that over 100 of our alumni are out there right now, volunteering their time to mentor these students, speaks volumes about the 51Ʒ�� spirit."

Szczepanski noted that this level of involvement serves as a powerful reminder that 51Ʒ�� graduates are more than engineers. They’re mentors, leaders, and community builders.

The KGMIAA and 51Ʒ�� wish all sponsored teams the best of luck in their upcoming competitions.

51Ʒ�� Robotics Team Wins Design Award, Qualifies for VEX-U Worlds

lmadaus — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 15:11:24 +0000

51Ʒ�� Robotics Team Wins Design Award, Qualifies for VEX-U Worlds

Robotics

lmadaus Thu, 12/18/2025 - 10:11

KUdos, 51Ʒ��’s VEX-U robotics team, opened its competitive season with a strong showing at the Illini VURC Cornfield Clash 1, hosted at the Siebel Center for Design at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Competing against 12 university teams from across the Midwest and beyond, including Purdue University, The Ohio State University, and the Milwaukee School of Engineering, KUdos earned second place overall and secured a VEX-U Worlds qualification in its first event of the season.

Their robot pair, Luigi and Guido, named after the mechanics from the movie Cars, combined consistent on-field performance with a documented engineering process that stood out to judges.

The team also earned second place in Skills and was recognized with the Design Award, one of the most rigorous judged awards at VEX-U competitions.

Design Award Recognition

The Design Award recognizes excellence in the Engineering Design Process, team organization, and professional documentation. Judges evaluate teams on the quality and completeness of their Engineering Notebook, the clarity of their team interview, and how effectively students manage time, resources, and collaboration.

According to the award criteria, winning teams demonstrate:

A fully developed and well-organized Engineering Notebook
Clear documentation of the design process from concept through execution
Strong alignment between notebook content, robot design, and interview responses
Effective communication, teamwork, and professionalism
A student-centered approach to problem-solving and iteration

KUdos met all criteria, earning recognition for both technical rigor and presentation.

Team members included:

Nathan Nguyen ‘26, Team Captain, Design and Fabrication Lead, Drive Coach
Mactar Gueye ‘30, Programmer, Designer, Driver
Daniel Buddington ‘30, Pit Crew, Driver
William Tritremmel ‘30, Pit Crew, Human Player

With a tournament finalist finish, a Design Award win, and a Worlds qualification secured at their first event, the team now advances to VEX-U Worlds, where they will compete against top university teams from around the globe.