STEAM Team from New Mexico Earns 2nd in Dallas Robotics Tournament

A team of talented New Mexican students made a strong impact in the world of robotics by finishing second in a regional competition held in Dallas, Texas. The team, known as the “Rio Rancho Community Team,” competed against schools from New Mexico and Texas, showcasing their skills in building robots, presenting their projects, and designing engineering documentation.

The competition, which featured 73 teams, required participants to build functional robots, give engaging presentations, and create an informative engineering book. After intense competition, the Rio Rancho Community Team earned second place overall, an achievement that reflects their hard work and dedication.

“These are skills they’re going to take outside of the competition,” said Bob Gruenig, a mentor with the R4Creating organization, which helped prepare the students for the tournament. The program, which started in 2005 as a small garage-based initiative, has grown significantly and now impacts thousands of students across the metro, providing them with valuable lessons in math, science, technology, and engineering.

Skylar, a member of the team, shared that the sense of community and the opportunity to fundraise and present were some of his favorite aspects of the program. “I just love to have a challenge and try and figure out how we can accomplish that,” said Cheyenne, another student participant, highlighting the problem-solving challenges the competition presented.

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Andrew, another team member, found the experience to be especially rewarding. “It’s really shown me that I love engineering and being able to solve a problem and find the most efficient solution for something,” he said.

Autumn, who has been part of the organization for six years, explained how the program has helped her develop confidence, especially in public speaking and presentations. “I got a lot more confident through that and I just decided that going past my comfort zone was a good thing,” Autumn shared. She plans to pursue a career in teaching, and believes that the skills and values she’s learned through the group—such as hard work and collaboration—will help her succeed in the future.

In addition to their second-place finish, the Rio Rancho Community Team also earned first place in exhibit design and construction and third place in software design. Gruenig expressed his pride in the students’ growth, noting, “When you get to the end of the season you can see how much they’ve grown, and they come back more excited next year.”

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