USU Extension 4-H Robotics Club Wins Region, Takes on State

A Utah State University Extension 4-H robotics club from Washington County recently won the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) tech challenge regional qualifier. In March, the club will move on to the state competition at the American First Event Center in Cedar City.

The FIRST Tech Challenge is a robotics competition designed to inspire young people to pursue careers in STEM fields. Teams compete in challenges that test their robotics and technical skills and ability to work together and think critically.

The Team Without a Cool Acronym (TWCA) consists of six 4-H youth from Washington County who used their STEM skills to build a robot designed to compete in a specific game against other robots. 

Team members include Teslyn Hummel, Codi Krogh, Calvin Hummel, Gideon Iverson, Cru Snyder, and Taft Hill. Their 4-H club leader is Amy Hummel.

Of the 31 teams that competed in the tournament, the TWCA club stood out with the member’s innovative design and impressive technical skills.

“This season has been different for us because 50% of our team members are new to the FIRST Tech Challenge,” said Amy Hummel. “The new and old team members coming together and helping each other learn was a big part of what made them winners.”

The team also won the Inspire Award, which is given to the team that shares their experiences, enthusiasm, and knowledge with other teams, sponsors, their community, and the judges.

“This was my third year on the team, and it was so much fun showing the rookies how competitions work,” said Teslyn Hummel. “This competition was a good bonding experience with my teammates. I’m looking forward to improving the programming skills I’ve been developing, especially using vision to help our robot use autonomous decisions.”

“Utah 4-H excels in robotics,” said Dave Francis, USU Extension youth development director. “We are proud of the TWCA for their accomplishments, for being a positive example to youth and community members, and for representing the hard work and dedication that 4-H involvement stands for.”

The 4-H organization provides hands-on learning opportunities for young people in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Through the 4-H robotics club, members learn valuable technical skills and work on projects while developing essential life skills such as teamwork and leadership.

Visit https://extension.usu.edu/ for more information about USU Extension 4-H youth programs.