ST. LOUIS, MO. – The Talons Robotics Team represented the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) at the VEX U Robotics World Championship in St. Louis in April, competing among the top college and university teams from around the world.
The VEX U Robotics competitions test students’ ability to design, build, program, and operate robots to complete a series of challenges. The top 150 qualifying college and university teams from around the world are invited to the tournament. The Talons placed 33rd in Programming Skills, 45th in Overall World Skills, and 31st in their division.
Talons team member Kody Bowling manages the engineering notebook and assists the drive team. He said while it’s a challenge to compete alongside teams from large, four-year institutions with established engineering programs, it’s a great feeling to do well and to finish strong.
“We were surrounded by some of the best robotics teams in the world, and every match pushed us to improve,” Bowling said. “I learned so much about robot design, programming, teamwork, and how to stay focused under pressure. It was exciting to see that we can compete at this level.”
This year’s field is called Push Back. Tall cylinders are placed in each corner and filled with red and blue balls. The field has three goals, one in the center and two on opposite sides. Teams score points by moving the balls from the cylinders to the goals, and by pushing the opposing team’s balls out.
The Talons competed in five tournaments during this season, hosting one tournament at CSM, and traveling to Virginia, Delaware, and West Virginia. They finished with several accolades, including Tournament Champion, Excellence Award, Design Award, and Robot Skills Tournament win, which combines driver-controlled and programming-based performance.
CSM engineering professor and team advisor Jim Cleary is proud of how much the students have learned and improved this year. The competition requires students to apply real-world engineering concepts, including design, coding, electronics, and testing, while developing teamwork and project management skills.
“These students have grown into capable engineers and problem-solvers,” Cleary said. “They faced real technical challenges all season and they kept responding with creativity, persistence, and professionalism. This tournament gave them a chance to measure themselves against the best teams in the world and they proved they belong there.”
While the Talons will be saying goodbye to three graduating members as they head to four-year universities, seven team members will be returning for another year. Membership is open to CSM students in any program who maintain a 3.0 grade point average (GPA). Each year two $1,000 scholarships are awarded through the CSM Foundation to Talons team members in their second year to help with academic support.
The World Championships marked the end of this season, with next year’s competition field revealed during the tournament. Returning Talons members will begin building and designing robots this summer in preparation for next season to begin in the fall.