December 1, 2025
The University of Southern Indiana hosted the 2025 FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Qualifying Tournament on November 22, bringing together more than 100 students from across the region for a day of robotics competition and STEM exploration. Coordinated by the Southwest Indiana STEM Resource Center, the tournament challenged teams to design, program and operate custom LEGO Spike Prime robots to complete archaeology-themed missions.
Participants engaged in judged presentations, high-energy robot matches and demonstrations by the North Posey FIRST TECH Challenge team throughout the event. Faculty, staff and students from USI joined NSWC-Crane employees and community volunteers to support the competition and assist teams.
The Roxstars from Shoals Community School earned the event’s top honor, the Champion’s Award, marking their second consecutive win. Seven teams qualified to advance to the Indiana FLL Semi-State Challenge, which will take place Saturday, December 20 in Vincennes, Indiana. In addition, Dave Ellert, Instructor Emeritus of Engineering, was recognized with the 2025 Volunteer of the Year Award for his longstanding contributions to the regional STEM community.
The 2025 USI FLL Qualifying Tournament was sponsored by AstraZeneca and the Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education, which continues to support and expand STEM opportunities for youth across Southwest Indiana.
For more information about FIRST LEGO League, visit USI.edu/stem.