MMA Robotics and Engineering Showcase Innovation at Missouri S&T

On April 10, 2025, cadets in MMA’s Robotics and Engineering classes traveled to Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) to participate in the Innovative Solutions Showcase. MMA maintains a close relationship with Missouri S&T through its partnership with the Kummer Center for STEM Education, our Project Lead The Way (PLTW) program collaboration, an admissions agreement, and STEM summer camp scholarship opportunities.

"Robotics and engineering are relatively new program offerings at MMA, so it was an honor for cadets to be invited to showcase their projects at such a high-level event," said PLTW Instructor Chris Schafer ’89, who enjoyed the opportunity to see the cadets present their builds in a formal competitive setting.

The middle school robotics team brought three boats and a functional tracked tank. Their challenge was to develop a stable floating platform capable of keeping electronics dry, while the tracked vehicle featured a working water cannon.

The high school engineering students tackled the ambitious task of building a screw-sorting machine. With nine different screw sizes used in PLTW engineering, screws often end up in the wrong bins. The team’s solution used an optical sensor to detect pixel length or screw head color, then automatically indexed the screw into the correct bin.

The robotics and engineering classes received feedback from judges and fielded questions from fellow PLTW students and advisors.

“The real value gained through this experience is measuring how our PLTW program can compete against other programs,” said Academic Dean Ranae Clement.

Mr. Martin Pickney, PLTW Program Director for the Kummer Center for STEM Education, thanked the students and commended their performance at their first showcase.

According to Schafer, now that cadets have seen the event firsthand, preparation for next year’s Innovative Solutions Showcase will begin early, with eyes on becoming top competitors.

List of Participants

Robotics

• Beltran

• Brewer

• Evertson

• Martin

• Moreland

• Mumm, E.

• Naimi

• Portuallo

• Sattler

Engineering

• Derstein

• Krull