‘Machines’ take over Crafton’s STEM Center for friendly robotics competition

Publish Date: April 18, 2026

A Battle of the Bots took over the STEM Center at Crafton Hills College on April 17, during the annual VEX Robotics Competition.

Three Roadrunner-led teams put their skills to the test using remote control and coding to control a VEX Clawbot. Their mission: Compete in a series of tasks to win prizes and bragging rights.

“This event is great because there aren’t a lot of opportunities for students to build their own robots and then… practice how to use them,” said Lisa Jordan, an interim administrative assistant in CHC’s STEM Center, adding “The cool thing about this particular competition is both the ‘driving’ of the robot and the animatronics of it so they have to code each one.”

Robotic kits were provided to students last semester. In the weeks leading up to the competition, they utilized the STEM Center to develop their coding and execution skills by coding each bot using VEXcode, a programming software.

Jordan explained that a hands-on experience such as this is not usually available to students. “So this opportunity has been really awesome for them,” she said.

The competition played out on a yellow and gray colored ring placed in the center of the STEM Center. There, competing Clawbots earned their team’s points by placing red or blue blocks into several stations. 

Jordan and Corey Johnson, a Crafton lab technician, judged each round using a points scale to determine winners in categories like overall teamwork, skills, and sportsmanship.

Crafton’s Robotics Competition took place at the same time as the college’s annual Senior Day, which gives area high school students an opportunity to experience a day in the life as a Roadrunner.

Isaiah Torres, a member of robotics team Goon Squad, hoped the competition would have piqued the curiosity of visiting students looking to develop a STEM-related hobby or study.

“Being able to introduce them to the entire program helps us branch out a little,” said the first- year Crafton student from Redlands. “When I heard about the MESA program through social media, I was like, ‘Hey, I think this is the school for me.’ And here I am.” 

The mission of Crafton’s STEM Center is to be a gateway to success in science, technology, engineering, and math-related studies and careers. It offers study groups and review sessions, year-round events and workshops, counseling services, and on-campus resources and clubs.

To learn more about the STEM center and all that Crafton has to offer, go to www.craftonhills.edu/academic-and-career-programs/stem-center/.