The Talons, a competitive robotics team from the College of Southern Maryland (CSM), will be competing at the 2023 West Virginia Vex U Qualifier in March.
The team has a reputation for winning at World Vex Competitions and recently performed strongly at the VexU Tigertown Throwdown, where they ranked first going into the single elimination rounds.
During the quarterfinals, the Talons narrowly lost to EZPZ, the team from the University of South Carolina. Last year, the Talons won a prestigious Excellence award, which allowed them to compete at the Worlds VexU College Competition, where they earned the title of 10th best team in the technology category and 11th best in the skills category.
In addition to their robotics work, the Talons actively support up-and-coming students in the community. They regularly volunteer as judges with the CCPS robotics teams and have sponsored collaborative sessions with scouting groups and Purple Boots robotics teams.
“In addition to the many hours in the robotics lab designing and practicing for the competitions, the members of the team have also been active this year in supporting up-and-coming students in the community,” explained Associate Dean Dr. Stephanie McCaslin. “They regularly volunteer as judges with the CCPS robotics teams and have sponsored collaborative sessions with scouting groups and Purple Boots robotics teams.”
The VEX U competitions are sponsored by the Robotics Education and Competition (REC) Foundation, which aims to increase student interest and involvement in STEM fields. The competitions involve maneuvering game elements and completing tasks using robots that are designed by participating teams.
The current challenge, called “Spin up,” requires innovation, collaboration, and technical expertise, as teams try to collect discs, shoot them into goals, own rollers, and cover field tiles.
Members of the CSM Talons Robotics Team are:
- Bailey Burroughs?
- Jonathan Gross
- Brian Gross
- Ryan Goldsmith
- Glenn Teeguarden
- Eli Gerstman
- Hassan Turay
- Michael Douglas
- Cameron Vinson
- Ren Fletcher
- Brianna Rourke
- Ebin Sebastian
CSM Talons faculty coaches include:
- Ann Stine
- Brian Warnecke
- Jim Cleary
- Elizabeth Rourke