Illini VEX Robotics

Illinois Vex Robotics hosted the largest high school-level VEX Robotics Tournament the university has ever seen, welcoming 40 local teams and over 240 engineering-minded high school students to the Campus Instructional Facility (CIF) on January 25. This tournament was more than just a competition, it was an opportunity to showcase the innovation and problem-solving skills that define Illinois Grainger engineers. It also served as a valuable outreach initiative, inspiring the next generation of STEM leaders. Congratulations to all the teams and a huge thank you to the dedicated volunteers who made this event possible! #STEMEducation #VEXRobotics #IllinoisGrainger #FutureEngineers

When Illini VEX Robotics needed a custom trophy for their Cornfield Clash—fast—we were proud to help them pull it off. With the competition approaching, we combined their ideas with our manufacturing expertise, blending custom design elements to highlight the talent of these future engineers. As their proud sponsors, we got pretty into it—almost felt like we were part of the competition! Check out how it all came together: https://buff.ly/3AVtxGh Huge shoutout to these amazing students who are clearly beyond their years! #Prismier #IlliniVEXRobotics #IlliniVEX

On July 25, National Intern Day, we hosted the 18th Annual Research Park Intern Awards ceremony. The Intern Awards highlight the remarkable achievements of Research Park interns, showcasing their outstanding talent, skills, and dedication. From groundbreaking technical achievements to exceptional leadership and teamwork, their contributions have truly shined. Thank you to the managers and judges for their roles in nominating and selecting the winners. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists for your hard work and remarkable accomplishments. We are excited to see how you bloom even more in the future! ?? ?? Winners ??: Best Startup Intern: Zhongchi (Zoey) Zhang, Boston Bioprocess Best Technical Innovation: Shivani Birwadkar, ADM Science and Technology Center Best Business Innovation: Yijin Wang, Synchrony Emerging Technology Center Most Outstanding Undergraduate Intern: Mayank Dubey, Rivian Most Outstanding Graduate Intern: Peeya Thacker, COUNTRY Financial? DigitaLab Most Competent and Collaborative Team: Nina Ayar, Coggan Banerian, and Sean Raiter — Hourglass Medical #NationalInternDay #InternAwards

This past week I attended the 17th ACM PErvasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments (PETRA) conference in Crete. I had the chance to present our research and exploration of wearable technology aimed at assisting grip strength. I’d like to thank my colleagues, Stone Shi, Matt Ying, as well as our mentor Carlos de Aguiar for their support and integral contributions to our research. Furthermore, I’d like to thank the FAA James Scholar program for their generous financial support in funding travel accommodations.

This past week we attended the 2024 VEX Robotics World Championships in Dallas, Texas!!! With over 100 collegiate teams in attendance, we had a blast competing with the best of the best! ?? With a record of 7-1-1, we finished 3rd in the Innovate division! It was inspiring to connect with teams from across the globe and witness the creativity behind their robot designs and diverse strategies! We want to thank our tremendously supportive sponsors and university partners for their ongoing support! Shoutout to Prismier, LLC for providing raw materials and collaborating with us on our Cornfield Clash awards earlier this year! Our success throughout the 2023-2024 season would not have been possible without them. Additionally we'd like to thank Polymaker for providing 3D printing materials, as well as the Siebel Center for Design and Illinois ECE for their continued support and encouragement!! As this season comes to a close, we look forward to what new challenges VEX U High Stakes will bring! Keep an eye out for some event highlights coming to our YouTube channel soon!