AggieBot attends and judges ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair

The Dwight Look College of Engineering participated in the ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair March 22 in San Antonio, but not in a way you would normally expect.

The Look College sent AggieBot, a VGo, to judge the junior category of the fair. A VGo has the capability to replicate a person in a distant location and move around freely by remote control. The VGo itself could not judge the student’s projects. Instead, the VGo was controlled and judged from the Texas A&M University campus in College Station by Dr. Johannes Strobel, director for educational outreach programs. Strobel maneuvered the VGo around the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center as he conversed with the students and observed and judged their projects 

“I saw some really excellent projects,” Strobel said. “People showed me a lot of passion, showed a lot of ingenuity, great ideas and great execution.”

Amber Muenzenberger, director of remote learning and outreach education, accompanied the VGo and experienced the reaction of onlookers. 

“Students were very interested in AggieBot,” she said. “The students that were judged using AggieBot were very enthusiastic and exited about this new opportunity.”.

In addition to AggieBot, the Look College was also represented by keynote speaker, Cortlan Wickliff. Wickliff, an attorney and interdisciplinary engineering Ph.D. student in the college of engineering, encouraged the audience to get involved in STEM research and stay motivated when times get tough. He also encouraged students to become STEM professionals and provide some tips to being persistent in STEM disciplines while still in college.

To learn more about the science fair, visit http://emtsef.utsa.edu/