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Innovators see obstacles as opportunities and competitions as creations, and this past academic year, the Branam and Kremer Innovation Center competition teams tinkered with technological advances to represent ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ at local, national, and world championships.

ASCE Steel Bridge
Steel Bridge won first place at the Indiana-Kentucky Student Symposium for the second year. The team was recognized for Lightness (2nd place), Construction Speed (2nd place), Construction Economy (2nd place), and Cost Estimation (1st place).

FIRST Robotics Team Area 5188 Mentors
ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ students mentored the FIRST Robotics Competition team 5188, and 55% of their high school mentees were new to the team. The team earned the Autonomous Award and was named an alliance captain at its district event. High school students and ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ mentors also inspired future generations through local FIRST Lego League teams.

Make It Happen
Make It Happen aims to "solve real problems for real people," and built several community projects, including an electric dolly book bin to help Vigo County Public Library employees. Team members also worked on several smaller-scale projects throughout the spring quarter, including a station for Lost Creek Elementary’s field day activities.

MakerLab
MakerLab reinvented itself this year with new equipment, including revamped 3D printing abilities, a designated textile area, and the addition of an Axiom Iconic 8 CNC router. Open to all ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ students, MakerLab provides safety training and access to processes and equipment including laser cutting, resin printing, CNC engraving, waterjet cutting, and 3D printing.

Robotics - Combat
Combat Robotics placed second in the 30-pound robot class at the National Havoc Robotics League (NHRL) competition, qualifying for the NHRL Pro League and NHRL Championships. ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½’s team also competes in groups of two to four students in the 1-pound, 1-pound 3D printed, and 3-pound categories.

Robotics - MATE/ ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½VG Robotics
MATE/ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½VG Robotics developed an entirely new Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), featuring a fully symmetric ROV frame, differential gripper systems, advanced flight control systems, and a profiling float. The team earned 16th place at the MATE ROV World Championships, held earlier this summer at the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University in Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada. ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½VG Robotics was also one of the first teams in the competitions to successfully operate a vehicle in the ocean rather than a simulated environment.

Robotics - Robomaster/RHIT Thornbots
Robomaster upgraded their three nondestructive robots, building a taller bot with expanded hoppers, in advance of their spring scrimmage and summer competition. The team earned a fifth-place finish at the ARC Championship in June, besting teams from University of Minnesota, Nagoya University, Washington University in St. Louis, and University of Texas Arlington.

Rocketry - High Power Rocketry
High Power Rocketry helps students achieve their National Association of Rocketry Level 1 certification and advance to Level 2 rocket designs. ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ recently established a partnership with the Terre Haute Regional Airport to enable students to achieve their certification launches just a few minutes from campus.

Rocketry - NASA University Student Launch Initiative (USLI)
The USLI team builds a rocket with a scientific payload determined by NASA, earning approval from NASA Subject Matter Experts at various competition checkpoints. The team qualified for and launched at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where they earned a 10th-place finish.

Rocketry - ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ Propulsion Laboratory
ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ Propulsion Laboratory develops liquid rocket engines and completed the first hot fire engine test by ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ students. The hot fire liquid rocket engine is an important step toward the team’s ultimate goal of successfully launching and landing a hopper vehicle.

ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ Aerial Systems
ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ Aerial Systems (formerly Design/Build/Fly) transitioned to competitive aerial robotics. The team designed a VTOL quad-plane for the Student Unmanned Aerial Systems competition in September.

ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½GPE
ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ Grand Prix Engineering built their first electric car to compete in Formula SAE EV in June, manufacturing nearly every component on campus. ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½GPE competed in the Technical Inspection and Static Events, passing nearly all levels of inspection — an impressive feat for the team’s first electric vehicle.

Team ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ Motorsports
Team ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ Motorsports rebuilt the transmission of their 1988 BMW325is and installed a new engine, transaxle, and ECU in their 1974 Porsche 914 and raced their 1984 Foxbody Mustang through a partnership with VP Racing Fuels.

VEXU Robotics
In their first full season, VEXU Robotics competed in three local tournaments and qualified for the World Championships, where they beat teams from around the world, including Purdue University. Over the course of the season, the team made four robot design iterations and built a total of six robots.

Scholarship Opportunities

ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ is again offering scholarships for the 2027-2028 academic year designed to recognize outstanding high school students whose creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving reflect the spirit of ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½. The Competition Teams Scholarship honors students who have participated in high school design, robotics, computer, or engineering teams. The scholarship provides a four-year award ranging from $1,000-$2,500 annually and complements other financial assistance. 

The regular decision application deadline is February 1, 2027. For more information about each of the competition teams, visit rhit.edu/bic.