Arkansas Tech University President Dr. Russell Jones helped launch the 2025 Arkansas VEX Robotics State Championships at Tucker Coliseum by welcoming students, teachers and parents to Tucker Coliseum on Tuesday, March 11.
“VEX Robotics is a great opportunity for these students to learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM),” said Jones. “The career opportunities in STEM will continue to multiply during their lifetime. The talents they develop today will position them to be at the forefront of creating and implementing new technologies in the decades to come.
“Equally important is the opportunity to be a part of a team,” continued Jones. “As these students encounter and solve problems together, they discover that each of us has talents and abilities. They are learning that when we work together, there are no limits to what we can achieve.”
By the time the event is complete on Saturday, March 15, more than 150 K-12 robotics teams will have competed for state championships on the Tucker Coliseum floor. The meet includes competitions at the elementary school, middle school and high school levels.
A total of 28 teams from Arkansas will qualify for the 2025 VEX Robotics World Championships, which will be contested at Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas May 9-14.
VEX Robotics competitions are presented by the Robotics Education and Competition (REC) Foundation. The foundation’s stated mission is “to increase student interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by engaging students in hands-on, affordable and sustainable robotics engineering programs.”
The ATU robotics team and advisor Jacob Weidenfeller take the lead in hosting the annual Arkansas state championships at Arkansas Tech in collaboration with Sarah Jones, REC Foundation regional support manager. Entergy Arkansas provided volunteer judges for the 2025 competitions.
Learn more about the ATU College of STEM at www.atu.edu/stem.
