The robotics experience that we offer our team, divided into our preseason, season & postseason, is uniquely hands-on. This is how we learn by doing.
The goal of our preseason is to ease the team into the grind of competition season. This fall, we plan for it to take the form of several fast-paced modules that cover the basics of robotics engineering, working with organizations such as the Engineering and Technical Support Group on the University of Chicago campus, making sure every member has the skills they need to contribute to our exciting season projects!
Hosted every summer in Utah’s southern deserts, the University Rover Challenge tasks student teams to design and construct rovers that may usher in a new age of Mars exploration. UChicago Robotics excepts to embark on this mission during the 2025-2026 academic year!
Described as a “hardware-based hackathon” — a.k.a. a makeathon — MakeHarvard allows teams of students to design, prototype, and pitch any project of their choosing. Participants will have the opportunity to fly to Cambridge and engage with the broader intercollegiate community.
A yearly combat robotics event hosted on the University of Illinois’ campus, Robobrawl consists of a double elimination tournament over the course of two days, where 30-pound combat robots fight in a 16’ by 16’ arena. Styled, to no one’s surprise, after Battle Bots!
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Our postseason will consist mostly of individual, small-group projects of our team members’ desires — an opportunity to wind down and have some fun after a year of hard work!
Our team applies what we learn from building robotics systems to mentoring students through partner organizations. This is how we lead by serving.
Collegiate Scholars Program (CSP) is a three-year program designed to encourage high-achieving and underrepresented Chicago Public Schools students to apply to and succeed at highly selective colleges and universities. Students involved in UChicago Robotics have the opportunity to mentor these students and help them succeed in their high school transition to college.
The Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) not only stands at the forefront of molecular-level science innovation, but also offers several educational outreach programs in an effort to encourage more K-12 students to explore STEM. These include junior science cafés, partnerships with individual schools, and educational fairs. Volunteer opportunities and other forms of support are constantly available to UChicago Robotics students!
University of Chicago Laboratory Schools has a FIRST FRC team that our team members engage with. During their build season, we provide guidance for building, programming, electronics, fundraising, business development, and service.
If you are interested in partnering with us, please reach out to our Vice President of Service, Pooja Vegesna. Her email is pvegesna@uchicago.edu.
