WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — For the first time ever, the Burkburnett Robotics Team is gearing up to advance to the Regional 2 meet after winning this year’s UIL State Championship

For sophomore Robotics Student, Eli Tran, engineering and designing are in his blood.

“I just like solving a problem really, the competitions are really fun meeting new people and all the people that have also designed robots with kind of a familiar background,” Tran said.

Burk Robotics and Computer Science teacher, Glenda Moore said in this year’s UIL competition, students had to build a robot that could in some form or fashion put a disc in a basket or in the coordinating colored squares.

“If you noticed on the field there were rollers, the rollers they can spin those to their color and they get points for those also so some robots will just push discs into the lower goal and some will spin the roller disc and some are able to shoot,” Moore said.

Moore said in between competitions the students have a chance to make needed modifications or repairs in order to have the best of the best.

“According to what they figure out does work and what doesn’t work at the competitions so it’s kind of like a process that starts at the very beginning of school and goes all the way until they either don’t qualify or they qualify for the next round,” Moore said.

Something that Tran said comes easy when you work well with your team.

“We get along really well we know each other and yes we’re a pretty good team with our communication and our designs,” Tran said.

And when it comes time, Moore is confident that her students will make it to the next round, but said no matter what she’s just proud of her students for making it this far.

“They’ve worked really hard, the team that won the state UIL competition this year had a goal in mind to make it to worlds, and that’s what their goal is and they’re still striving to get there,” Moore said.

“‘You think you guys are going to win worlds?’ “Yes I feel like we have a pretty good shot with our team and with our robot,” Tran said.

Moore said the state-winning team will compete in March for a chance to advance to the world’s competition, and of course, we’ll follow that and update you at home on whether they take the title, and we want to wish those students the best of luck moving forward.