The College of Southern Maryland Talons Robotics Team achieved strong performances at an international VEX Robotics Competition event in Manassas, Virginia, on November 22, earning wins in Programming Skills, Driver Skills, and the overall Combined Skills Championship. These results placed the team among the top 20 ranked worldwide in VEX U, the college-level division.
Team member Immanuel Hernandez highlighted the camaraderie involved. “The best part of the competitions is being there with your whole team,” Hernandez said. “The whole experience of competing and doing well is a great feeling.”
Credit: College of Southern Maryland
The CSM Talons lab features a full replica of the current VEX competition field, a 12-foot by 12-foot enclosed platform with obstacles, corner goals filled with red and blue balls, and two central goals. Robots must collect scattered balls and deposit them into goals to score points, navigating challenges that vary annually. The new game design is unveiled each May at the VEX Robotics World Championship.
Students adapt last season’s robot to the updated field. Hernandez, serving as driver and builder, utilizes a 3D printer to create custom parts for enhancements.
Participation has influenced career paths for members like Hernandez. “I realized how much I enjoyed applying the different math I’m learning and the different STEM classes,” Hernandez said. “Applying these skills to the robots and getting things to work is really fascinating.” He now plans to pursue engineering.
Engineering Professor Jim Cleary, one of the team’s advisors, noted the value of student-led efforts. “It makes every moment I spend in the lab worth it to see these students succeed,” Cleary said. “They work really hard to be competitive, working in the lab almost every Friday all year. As advisors we don’t tell them what to build, we give them guidance, and they go off on their own.”
The Talons regularly compete against teams from established four-year engineering programs nationwide, building practical abilities in design, programming, and operation under pressure.
To support members, the CSM Foundation awards two $1,000 scholarships annually to second-year Talons participants. Team involvement requires maintaining a minimum 3.0 grade point average, with most students majoring in engineering to prepare for transfer to four-year institutions.
“They are developing skills that industries are looking for,” Cleary said. “It’s teamwork, imagination, meeting deadlines, and working under pressure. We want to make sure that when they leave CSM they are ready for their next step and have the skills to succeed in the workforce.”
The team fosters growth in robotics locally by hosting events. In February, they will organize a VEX V5 Robotics Tournament for middle and high school students, plus a new tournament for elementary participants to encourage early engagement.
Looking ahead, the Talons aim for qualification to the VEX Robotics World Championship. Pathways include winning a spot at a qualifying event with at least eight teams, high seasonal ranking, or accumulating sufficient points.
Their upcoming competition occurs on home turf February 6, when the La Plata Campus hosts a university-level VEX tournament.
VEX U, sponsored by the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation, provides college students opportunities to engineer robots for complex tasks, promoting STEM fields. Competitions include autonomous programming challenges and driver-controlled matches, with skills rankings combining both.
The Talons have a history of success in VEX U, including past world rankings and qualifications to the global championship against university teams.
CSM’s robotics program operates from the La Plata Campus, where students access tools like 3D printers and dedicated lab space for year-round preparation.
