Kettering University’s VEX U team, KUdos, will join nearly 100 teams at the VEX Robotics World Championship from April 27 to April 29 in Dallas.

“I’ve had more fun in robotics this year than in the past,” said Katee Callicutt (’27, ME). “Going to Worlds in our rookie year is outstanding.”

Callicutt competed in VEX Robotics while attending Wade Hampton High School in Greenville, South Carolina, but the team never made it to the world championship. Although having a VEX U team wasn’t a requirement for her when selecting a college, it was something she wanted.

“Robotics is a passion of mine,” she said. “It gives me a way to escape. It can be frustrating and stressful, but it’s something I have always worked hard toward. I like working with my hands creating things and seeing them succeed.”

Teammate Connor O’Keefe (’25, CS) has a similar passion for robotics. He also competed as a student at Vancouver iTech Preparatory in Vancouver, Washington.

“I think it’s awesome,” he said. “I couldn’t get enough of robotics. I started VEX in the seventh grade, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

The challenge this year is called Spin Up. In each match, four teams form two alliances with the robots they designed and built. Each match consists of a 15-second autonomous period followed by a 1-minute, 45-second driver-controlled period. Robots must move discs to their respective goal areas for points and spin rollers to their alliance colors. The alliance scoring the most points wins. At the university level, teams use two robots.

“The new opportunities and challenges at the collegiate level are very interesting and fun,” O’Keefe said.

KUdos consists of six first-year students and one senior. Students from both sections are on the team, which made communication and organization top priorities to ensure the build was complete.

“I’m proud we can communicate and work together,” Callicutt said.

KUdos received the Judge’s Award in January at a competition in Monroe. 

To qualify for the Judge’s Award, teams must exhibit a high-quality interview, display special attributes, exemplary effort and perseverance at the event, overcome an obstacle or challenge, and achieve a goal or special accomplishment.

In Kettering’s case, only two team members could attend the competition to run both robots. The pair not only made it through, but they also doubled the team’s programming skills score.

O’Keefe and Callicutt see competing at Worlds as an excellent opportunity to recruit more students to Kettering and their team for next year.

“We can act as our own marketing unit with our bots, and we’re going to man a booth,” O’Keefe said. “We’re going to show-and-tell at worlds.”

Callicutt sees nothing but potential for the team.

“I’m very excited to go and advertise the team,” she said. “We could definitely become one of the top teams.”

Kettering has hosted VEX camps and workshops since 2015. Scholarships are also available for students who are active competitors or mentors of VEX or other competitive robotics organizations. Students can earn up to $5,000 yearly (up to $25,000 over five years) in renewable scholarships.

This year, Kettering University will be a field sponsor at the world championships. The University hosted the state championship in February.

The University organizes VEX competitions in partnership with the non-profit Robotics Education and Competition (REC) Foundation, an educational foundation with a mission to increase student interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Dan Mantz, a 1991 Kettering alumnus, is the Chief Executive Officer of the REC Foundation.

For more information about robotics at Kettering University, click here.